Waking Hours
by LexVictoriaX
Summary: When Castiel gets fed up with the Winchesters, a late night walk takes an interesting turn. Falling!Cas, set during season 5. Episode 13 on. Castiel/OC.
1. Hour One

So! This has been rattling around my brain forever, and I had to write it. I've recently gotten into Supernatural, and fallen in love with the characters and wealth of that show... So I figured I'd write a fic. This is a CastielXOC fic, because though I do (sometimes) ship Destiel, I don't feel like I'd be able to write it properly. I felt that there weren't enough CasXOC fics out there, so this is my attempt at a contribution! I hope you enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Supernatural.

**So, I completely revamped this story after posting two chapters, because I really wasn't happy with it. Thank you so much to everybody who already read and reviewed :P Sorry to do this to you!**

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HOUR ONE

The angel Castiel had always been patient. As a Warrior of the Lord, patience had been essential, something not only required, but engrained into his very being. He had waited centuries to be given orders, patiently awaited for the reason behind some of the atrocious acts he'd been told to commit, and was ever patient in waiting for his Father to reveal himself before the impending apocalypse. Castiel had Faith and Patience to spare.

…Which made the Winchesters extremely impressive.

Rarely frustrated, Castiel had originally split up Sam and Dean as they, again, fought over who would sacrifice themselves for the greater good. He had broken up another argument five minutes later about what to get for dinner, and a half hour after that, had done the same about who got control over the television remote.

Suffice it to say that by the time Cas had broken up the fifth argument, his patience had worn very thin. By the time he broke up the sixth, he was out of the motel, walking the dimly lit streets of whatever backwater town they had stopped in this time. He would have zapped himself halfway across the world, but on top of the fact that he still felt weakened from his tryst in 1979, the angel found that he liked walking around in the dark. The repetitive motion of moving one foot in front of the other was soothing in a way flying to Jerusalem or Tibet was not.

When he'd originally returned, the atmosphere in the motel room had been brooding and serious, but Cas had been thankful for the silence. He had needed rest, which made him feel uncomfortable and useless, but both Sam and Dean had been wonderful in taking care of him… something for which the angel was forever grateful. However, as days passed, the brothers grew restless and frustrated, especially because as Castiel healed (a cumbersome process in itself), they still hadn't left. Not for any fault of their own… they just had nowhere to go. They hadn't seen anything resembling a case for almost three days, a fact that only served to further aggravate things.

Making his way into town, Cas wandered the main street, his mind working a mile a minute on a solution to the impending doom of the Earth as his vessel's feet carried him past store after store. He needed to find some solution regarding the upcoming apocalypse. That, and prevent the Winchesters from doing something incredibly rash and stupid.

Though it was emotion and spirit that Cas admired most in the human race, he would soon strangle the brothers for their abundance of each. Enough was enough.

"Oops." A male voice broke him from his reverie as somebody pushed past him and the angel looked around in confusion. He was in a store. A small grocery store… that was currently empty, save for himself and a girl closing the meat and dairy coolers to his left. The angel observed that their inventory was primarily plant-based. Fresh corn, tomatoes, peppers, apples and lettuce were among some of the things that comprised their inventory. A wall of tea and coffee blends lined the space to his right, and a singular cash register was directly in front of him at the back of the store, a shelve of books and chocolate bars lining the space in front of it. There were signs that boasted locally grown, organic products, and Castiel wondered where exactly he had ended up. He could be five or fifty minutes from the motel at this point.

"Hi," a female voice said from behind the counter in the front, "can I help you?"

Cas turned, frowning at the woman. She had wavy brown hair that stopped just past her shoulders and light brown eyes. Her delicate nose was dotted with freckles and she sported a 'Save the Planet' t-shirt. She wore multiple leather bracelets, one chain with a delicate moon and stars pendant hanging just past her collarbone. He noticed a pad of paper to her right, a pen in her hand, and a warn copy of a novel entitled 'American Gods' directly in front of her.

"Sir? You alright?"

The angel frowned. "Where am I?"

"It Takes a Village," she replied slowly, a curious quirk in her brow. "You looked at the sign for a good five minutes before walking in."

Castiel turned, taking in the herb section at the front. Everything was bathed in warm, synthetic light… the kinds of bulbs that used altogether too much power, but made a room warm and welcoming. Old crates had been converted into makeshift containers for produce, the floorboards dipped in the middle of the small room, and the building smelled strongly of earth and herbs and spices. Altogether a very pleasant smell. It reminded him of rain. "How far to the Blue Oyster Motel?"

She cocked her head to the side. "A good five miles… How long were you walking for?"

"I don't know."

"Oh," she muttered. "Okay, well… you want a ride?"

Cas looked at her as if trying to decipher if she was a trick. She could have been. What kind of trick, he wasn't entirely sure. The angel could normally sense the supernatural, despite being cut off from Heaven. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. "I have gathered that it is not prudent to accept the help of strangers."

"Well, I've gathered that it's not prudent to offer help to them. Seems we're at an impasse." She shrugged. "I'm closing up shop anyway and you'd be on my way home. Your choice." The angel watched as she pressed a couple of buttons on the cash register, locking the cash box with a small key and shoving the pen, paper and worn novel into a hemp satchel she produced from behind the counter. Realizing something, she paused. "Sorry, I completely forgot to ask: were you gonna buy anything?"

Castiel looked around. Though the food looked very appetizing, he had no desire to eat. "No… thank you."

"I didn't think so, but I thought I'd ask anyway." She smiled, the thing warming her face and making her infinitely more beautiful. Castiel was about to tell her so, but stopped himself as she stood, walking towards him. Old, dirty jeans adorned her legs and she had some worn brown boots on her feet. She was young. A child compared to himself; he who had born witness to the creation of the Universe. "I'm Ara, by the way." She stuck out her hand.

Cas looked at the appendage curiously, making no move to reach out to her. Eventually, the young woman let her arm drop to her side. Odd bird, this guy. "Castiel," he replied.

"Your parents named you after the Angel of Thursday?" she asked, incredulous. "That's rough. I mean, I get Gabriel or Zachariah or Michael, even Adriel… But Castiel? Must have been hell in grade school." She thought for a moment. "Though probably not as bad a Uriel. Or Hesediel. God really liked his iels, didn't he?"

The angel had never thought about that. "I… suppose He did." A pause as he tilted his head to the side. "How do you know of so many angels?"

"I took a Bible Study course in college," she shrugged, "Not the most riveting class I've ever taken, but I got some really interesting stories out of it." She paused, rocking back and forth on her heels as he looked at her unflinchingly. It was as if he didn't know he was supposed to blink… which made her increasingly uncomfortable. "So, how 'bout that ride?"

To this day, Castiel did not understand why he took it. He could have continued walking, or just as easily zapped himself back to the motel… But he didn't. He took the ride with the quirky girl in from the organic market. To some extent, it felt like an act of rebellion: not only was he socializing just for the sheer enjoyment of it, he was doing something that had nothing to do with upcoming apocalypse in the company of a woman who knew nothing about it.

Absently, the Angel realized that not only was this girl the only human other than the Winchesters with whom he'd had an entire conversation, but it was by far the _longest_ conversation he'd ever had that wasn't about work. Not that this conversation was long to being with, but he enjoyed the companionship more than he thought he would, despite the fact that nothing had really been said. "I would love a… ride," he replied, trying the expression out on his tongue. The words felt foreign, though he had easily understood the gist of it when she had offered. "Thank you."

"No problem. Like I said, you're on my way." Besides, she always had time to help out a cute guy in need, despite the fact that he was a stranger. This should have worried the young woman, and truth be told, it did; Ara was not known for her great judgment of character… But it too felt like an act of rebellion, like one of those things she had never really done as a kid. She was starting over, the brunette remembered. Trying new things, being more social… Letting loose. Offering rides to attractive strangers fit into the category, right?

Ara was living _on edge_. She was being _spontaneous_.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Arael called herself ridiculous and pathetic. This was not rebellious. This was something she would have done before she lost her livelihood.

But staying out with him wouldn't. _Sleeping with him wouldn't_.

In her admittedly shorter experience on the planet, Ara had never done the casual thing. Serious boyfriends: yes. She had had three and slept with two. But casual? Friends with benefits, one-night stands… these all seemed like disasters waiting to happen. She had weighed the variables and decided that the cons out-weighed the pros.

But not this time. This time, she wanted to do something reckless and stupid… Like going out and having wild sex with a complete stranger. Which, the brunette thought mildly as she looked at her odd candidate, was probably a long-shot considering his general weirdness, but she figured she'd give it a shot. Worst-case scenario, she got rejected. "Um, do you like ice cream?"

He frowned, unsure what this had to do with their previous subject matter, but understood that humans sometimes tended to jump from topic to topic. "I don't know."

"You… don't know if you like ice cream? What kind of childhood did you have?" she blurted out.

"I didn't."

The human didn't say a word, too embarrassed and ashamed of her faux pas to do anything but feel sorry for the man. Her compassion was etched on her face, and the angel tilted his head down in a sign of appreciation.

"I appreciate your sympathy." And he did. He really did. It felt nice to be sympathized with after the hell he'd had to go through. In fact, he even twitched a tiny smile. "I… would not be opposed to trying it," the angel continued, "ice cream, I mean."

The relief was plain on the young woman's face. Why, Cas wasn't sure, but he decided he was glad she was relieved anyway. "I know this really good place just down the street." Ara reached out and tugged on his hand, a small smile playing at her lips. "C'mon."

Whatever it was about her that made the young woman so easy to talk to, Castiel found he didn't really care. For the first time since he began to truly feel, his feelings were nice. Good. It was a welcome reprieve from the hopelessness and frustration of his everyday.

So, he went with her, despite the fact that every angelic instinct he had was telling him he needed to get back to work. This girl was a waste of time, after all. She wasn't a hunter, she wasn't a vessel, she wasn't a prophet.

Perhaps that's what Castiel liked most about her.

Cas followed obediently, looking at their intertwined fingers in utter confusion and embarrassment. For what, he had no idea. It was just skin touching skin… He'd touched Dean and Sam's hands before without any sort of physical reaction, but his cheeks turned red just the same. The young woman let her hand slip from his as they exited the shop and she locked the door, and the angel was struck by how odd the evening had been progressing.

After all, he was only in this position because had decided to _walk._

They ambled down the street close to each other. Every few steps, Cas would feel her fingers brush against his. He could not fathom why, but his attention would be completely focused on their touching appendages. He had an unexplainable urge to grab her hand but decided firmly against it, keeping his hand extremely still. In response, the young woman held her arms firmly at her sides, and Cas felt the loss of contact sharply. Hesitantly, he attempted joining in on her game, his fingers brushing her hand as they walked.

His palms began to sweat. Ara's throat went dry.

Castiel both knew and could not understand what was going on.

She entered the ice cream shop first, the angel holding the door for her as she grinned and murmured a 'thank you', a little uncomfortable with the chivalry despite the fact that she thought it was sweet. It was rare that somebody would hold a door for her.

"So, what do you want? My treat."

He didn't argue the method of payment, but looked at each flavour intensely, unsure. In truth, he had no idea what to want. There were too many choices… too much freedom. "Which do you prefer?"

Ara shrugged. "Depends on what you feel like. If you want something sweet, I recommend the triple chocolate chip. It has actual chocolate covered potato chips, which sounds a lot nastier than it tastes. The vanilla truffle is also great. If you're looking for tart though… Personally, I like the lemonade sorbet best, but the raspberry is really good, too."

Though the angel knew she was trying to be helpful, narrowing down the choices did nothing for him. He had no idea what the words coming out of her mouth meant and therefore needed to be given something. Recognizing his look as one of frustration, the brunette leaned over the counter, asking for some tasting spoons. "Try 'em all and see which you like best."

It turned out that Castiel enjoyed every flavour she had recommended, but the clear favourite was the triple chocolate chip. A concoction of vanilla ice cream loaded with chunks of white, milk, and dark chocolate, as well as chocolate covered potato chips, it was no wonder the angel closed his eyes in ecstasy as a mix of sweet and salty exploded on his tongue. Cas groaned in pleasure, something he had never done before, and that surprised him, but found communicated exactly what he was feeling. Ara looked at the angel in a way that made him both embarrassed and incredibly warm. He swallowed. "This is phenomenal."

She smiled. "You want a cone or a cup?"

He frowned and she shrugged, handing eight dollars to the person behind the counter. "Can I get a small lemonade sorbet and a small triple chocolate chip, both in cones? Thanks." Ara then turned to her companion. "If you're an ice cream virgin, you really should get the entire experience."

Cas nodded, still sucking on the plastic spoon as he answered: "You are the expert."

Grinning in response, the young woman leaned over the counter to get their cones and handed the chocolate one to him. If she liked watching him eat a spoonful, watching him lick the cone was even better. Not that she was being lecherous; Ara had just never seen someone eat ice cream so… intently. The brunette was caught between needing a cold shower and thinking him the most adorably odd man-child she'd ever come across. Enraptured, Arael looked on as he took another lick, getting some chocolate on his nose as he closed his eyes, groaning.

"Um, Castiel, you've got some ice cream on your nose." He frowned, first instinct to look at the offending area as he made himself cross-eyed. The young woman bit her lip, trying to not smile as she took a napkin and dabbed the sweet liquid from his skin with the utmost concentration. As soon as she touched him, the angel's gaze immediately snapped to her. Ara felt uncomfortable. "So… Is it alright if I call you 'Cas'? I mean, 'cause Castiel sounds super formal."

He was silent. The brunette began to get nervous. "I could call you Castiel if you want, though. It's really not a problem. I guess because my full name is Arael, I just figured that you'd want a nickname, but if not that's totally-"

"Arael? As in the Angel of Nature?"

"Angel, Protector, whatever. Arael is my namesake."

Suddenly, her 'Save the Planet' t-shirt made a lot more sense… and not just because it was gloriously ironic. "I see you take your… namesake, very seriously."

She shrugged. "I didn't try to become the way I am, I just _am. _It was a coincidence that my name fits me like a glove. I mean, normally, a child becomes the exact opposite of their namesake. What about yours? Do you feel particularly lucky on Thursdays?"

The angel cracked a smile. "Cas is more than adequate." The answer came off as kind of oddly phrased, but the angel could not communicate his utter surprise. He had _always_ been Cas. His brothers and sisters who knew him well had tacked the nickname to his wings before he knew how to fly… Which was a figure of speech, seeing as he'd been created knowing how to fly and in the same transcendental state his celestial form occupied. But, the point was that Castiel had had no choice in the matter. Not that he minded, of course. Especially now, the angel found that Cas suited him much more than the entirety of his name.

But Ara had _asked_ him. Even Dean had not done him such a courtesy, and they shared a bond of love that insofar rivalled anything Castiel had ever felt. But Ara had asked. Ara wanted to know _his _preference.

He wanted to thank her for it. A strange thought, one that should not have come to mind simply because it made about as much sense as a unicycling hedgehog, but it did anyway. He was more than grateful for her consideration.

The pair looked at each other for a spell, stares soon turning awkward as Ara stepped away, nodding. "Okay, _Cas_." She raised her brows and smiled, spinning on her heel as she began to make her way outside. "So, how are you enjoying your first real slice of childhood bliss?"

He took another lick. "Every mouthful tastes of paradise."

She smiled. "Glad to hear it."

Outside, the pair sat on a park bench in silence. Ara worked on her ice cream in silence, every so often looking over at Castiel. Of the angel's part, he stared continuously at her, confused and intrigued. He had been watching the Earth for millennia. He knew humans could be just as kind as they were cruel, and generous as they were selfish. But Ara… Arael was _different_. Or maybe she wasn't different. Maybe she was so predictably human in her kindness and naivety that she seemed otherworldly. Yes, that was it, Cas decided. She was just so _normal_. Well, normal relative to the other humans he'd actually met.

Cas watched, oddly mesmerized as she licked her cone. He liked the fact that her tongue was pink and pointed, and felt his pulse quicken at the thought. Why, he had no idea, but the angel assumed it was a side effect of being cut off from Heaven. Licking his cone as well, Castiel realized he wanted to talk with his companion again. He enjoyed conversation, he decided, it was comforting. Especially when you talked about nothing at all.

He tried to think of something a human would say. "You look… Healthy."

"Um, thanks… I guess. So do you?"

The angel's lips quirked up as if he was extremely proud of himself. And he was. He had managed to _act human_. "Thank you."

"So, where're you from?"

"Pontiac, Illinois." Though his first instinct was to say 'Heaven', Cas found himself omitting that particular piece of information. He told himself he wasn't lying, not really—After all, Jimmy Novak _was_ really from there—but he felt guilty just the same. It was curious, the act of lying, and he couldn't fully understand why he'd done it. But he had. And it was troubling.

"I've never been there," Ara replied. "Is it nice?"

"Yes."

The young woman bit her lip. "If you don't mind me asking… Why'd you leave?"

A shrug. "I had to."

This was the truth. He did have to leave.

"Oh."

"It's nothing to mourn over," the angel murmured. "It was time to leave that place, just as it will be time to leave this one, and the one after. My…. Work, requires a great amount of travel."

"What do you do?"

"I'm a soldier." Another truth. No longer associated with Heaven, Castiel went from being a high-ranking soldier… to an outcast working for rebel forces. Now, he was merely a warrior.

Though this made him even more attractive (Ara assumed it was because of the whole big and strong, mysterious and war-ravaged protector thing. That evolutionarily, she was programmed to find a warrior a more attractive mate), the young woman had a hard time believing him. For a soldier, he was lean and skinny… and his hair was too long. Not that she was an expert in these things, but she knew how a soldier looked. And though this man may have had the 'I've seen too much' eyes, his body was not in the proper condition. At least, not for active service. But she held her tongue. You never knew, right? Maybe he worked as an analyst. "Well, Cas, I thank you greatly for your service."

Castiel had never been thanked before. Looking at her in amazement, the angel did not know what to say. For millennia, he had been doing what he was told without a word of appreciation. He had never done anything for this girl… and she was thanking him? His expression morphed into one of bewilderment and Ara frowned, reaching over to squeeze his hand. "You okay?"

The angel nodded. He squeezed back experimentally and Ara smiled, moving to thread her fingers between his. His human heart skipped a beat and Cas swallowed thickly. He liked the feeling of her hand more than he knew he should. "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

"What is it that _you_ do for work?" he asked unsurely, figuring it was his turn to carry the conversation.

"Nothing now. With all the freak weather we've been having, my research centre in Brazil was destroyed… But before, I was a biologist. More a conservation biologist than anything else, though I dabbled in ecosystem ecology. I was studying the Amazon Rainforest." A sigh. "Now though, I live in my parent's house. Not with them: my dad and stepmom are in Florida and my mom passed away. The house was hers."

"I am sorry."

"Why? It's not your fault. It happens. People get sick; people die… That's just how life works."

Not in his experience. How many times had the Winchesters been brought back? How many times had he bent the rules for them? The humans he knew _never_ stayed dead. "You have a very refreshing outlook on things."

"Thanks."

Silence fell yet again, and Cas found himself disappointed. He wanted to keep talking. "Do you… have any siblings?"

"Nope, just me. You?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Ara smiled wistfully, ignoring his odd phrasing and attributing it to his general weirdness. Which was okay, quirky was good. It meant you were different. "I've always wanted a big family."

"There are too many voices, too many opinions. I love each and every one of my brothers and sisters, but quarrels happen often. And with my Father gone… We are all missing direction."

"I'm sorry."

"As am I."

She pursed her lips. "You speak very eloquently for a soldier from Pontiac, Illinois, you know that?"

He merely looked at her. Ara took a deep breath, trying to figure out how she wanted to say this. She had never done this before. Not with a stranger. "What I mean to say," the brunette tried again, heart pounding. "Is that you seem… different. Not in a bad way! You just-you're… captivating." She frowned adorably, crinkling her nose in the process. "I don't think I've ever used that word in that context before. Is that weird? I swear I don't mean to be weird."

"I… don't think so," Cas replied, unsure. "But I'm not the best reference for social protocol."

She grinned. "Well, I guess that makes two of us."

"You are also very different," the angel stated seriously, though somewhat clumsy in his timing. "I don't believe I've ever met another human being quite as curious and kind." Though he had been stating a fact, Castiel found that he meant the words as more. He'd never been one for romance, but had learned enough to vaguely understand the consequences of his actions. Consequences that, at that particular moment, he was not entirely opposed to.

Arael blushed crimson, and Cas found himself liking the colour on her. Clearing her throat delicately, the young woman leaned towards the angel, kissing him lightly on the cheek in thanks. Castiel sat rigid on the bench.

Ara bit her lip, made aware she had done the wrong thing. "Sorry. I just thought-"

"I should get back."

"Right. Yeah. Let's—Where are you going?"

He had long since finished his cone and threw out his napkin in the nearest bin. He began walking down the street. He wanted to walk. Walking seemed to clear his head.

"Don't you want a ride?"

Did he? Did he want to spend more time with the odd human woman that volunteered in the organic market? Did he want to sit in her beat up station wagon as she drove him to the motel, talking and smiling in that way that made her beautiful, not pretty? Or did he want to walk and pretend that this very abnormal, anomaly of an evening never happened?

Cas was very surprised when he realized that he wanted the ride. In fact, he wanted it very much. On top of that, he wanted to eat more food with her, spend more time with her, and he _very much_ wanted her to kiss him again.

And that was confusing.

"Look, I'm sorry about the kissing thing. I just—it was stupid. I promise I won't-"

"Let's go." He was confused, clueless, and a little frightened by the way his vessel was reacting. It felt like his stomach had dropped five feet as he walked to the car, despite the fact that the angel knew this to be physically impossible. In any case, the myriad of emotions he was currently experiencing made for a very rigid, very awkward, very nervous Cas.

The next thing either of them knew, the pair were driving toward the Blue Oyster Motel in her mom's rickety station wagon, the tension in the air so thick you could practically see it. Ara tried to make conversation: "So, with a name like Castiel, your family must be religious."

His face was a wall. "Very much so."

And that was the end of that. As Cas was quietly coming undone in seat beside her, Arael felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach. She genuinely liked Castiel. Acting spontaneous and reckless aside, it was a shame the evening had to end in awkwardness.

"Which room number?"

"Twenty-three."

She pulled up to the motel five minutes later, parking in front of his door. Turning to the angel beside her, the young woman smiled, trying to mask the awkwardness. "So, this is it."

Cas nodded, though he didn't move. "Thank you."

He wanted to stay. He wanted to stay and he needed to go and all of these feelings and thoughts were rattling around in his brain _incessantly_—

And then he was kissing her. He had no idea how, but he had undone his seatbelt, leaned over, and kissed his driver full on the mouth. "Goodbye, Arael."

Logically, Castiel had always found the act of human kissing to be odd. It didn't look pleasurable. In fact, when particularly intense, it looked like both parties were attempting to devour each other.

His opinion changed after he had kissed Ara. Because as ridiculous as it looked… it felt _good_. Very good. The softness of her lips, the taste of her skin, the way she smelled of lily of the valley; it all melded together into one very enjoyable experience. A short, sweet, good experience. He wanted to do it again.

The brunette human looked at him, shocked. "I—Bye," she stuttered.

And he looked at her, and she looked at him, and neither moved an inch until Cas reached for the doorknob. Sam and Dean would have killed each other by now; he needed to get back to reality.

"Wait!" Ara tugged on his arm, watching as he turned to look at her. "I think… I think you should stay here. With me. Just for a little while longer."

The angel looked at her unsurely. Would staying longer entail more kissing? Would she want to do something else? When Dean had asked if he'd ever had a woman, Cas had not lied. This was new territory. He had no intimate experience with women whatsoever. Nobody had ever shown an interest in him, and he had been uninterested himself. After all, as a Warrior of Heaven, any act that was not following an order was a distraction. Warriors did not need distraction.

And Cas had been a good warrior.

Ara leaned forward again until her lips brushed his. The angel held very still. She kissed him properly this time, a hand moving to thread in his hair as her eyes fluttered shut. Cas began responding in kind, his mind blank as he acted purely on instinct he didn't know he had. Not knowing what to do with his hands, the angel left them dandling at his sides, unable to keep track of everything at once. He was overwhelmed with emotion. It raced through his system, making him happy and impatient and gloriously warm all at once.

He doubted he had ever felt anything so wonderful in all his years of existence. If this was what kissing felt like, no wonder humans killed for love. No wonder they had sex at every opportunity. Kissing was just the beginning… and if it felt so good, how did humans ever get anything done?

Suddenly, the angel had much more respect for the hairless apes.

Ara ran her tongue along his bottom lip, grinning when he opened his mouth automatically for her. He groaned as her hands tugged at the strands at his nape, his own appendages drifting to her waist.

He pulled her close, somehow managing to bring her out of the driver's seat and onto his lap as their mouths mashed and melted together in feelings and rhythms Cas had no idea existed. They were clumsy, they were imperfect, and the angel could not get enough of the physical and emotional chaos.

"Can we go to your room?" Ara gasped, whimpering when his hand accidentally brushed her crotch.

It took the angel a moment too long to understand why she wanted to get out of the car, but Ara didn't notice. Cas shook his head, breath hitching when he felt her lips at his neck. "Winchesters."

She paused. "What?"

"Sam and Dean Winchester," Castiel murmured, slightly breathless. "My… friends."

Though not ideal, the young woman figured she could wait. Blood was pumping in her veins a mile a minute and she couldn't believe she was doing this and she just felt so _alive_ and why did she wait to have meaningless sex because it had been so long and she was so _ready_. "We can go to mine. Sound good?"

He nodded, slightly dazed as he felt her move to get back to the driver's seat, grinding against him in the process. He hissed, moving forward to bury his face in her neck, breathing heavily as shocks of pleasure assaulted him. He was grasping her tightly.

The angel was ridiculously sensitive. Ara bit her lip, a hand tangling in his hair as she ground against him again, this time purposefully. "Cas, have you ever done this before?" she asked softly.

He shook his head in response, unable to stop the moans and groans from escaping his lips. He needed… He needed _something_. And it was right there. If only he could just… "Ara," he whimpered.

A virgin. Surprisingly, she didn't find this as weird as she thought she would. Though he looked to be in his early to mid thirties, the fact that he had no experience seemed almost natural. I mean, he seemed clueless and mysterious about everything else, what was one more thing? Besides, it made him more endearing than she would have thought possible.

The brunette ground against him for a third time. Castiel, meanwhile, was certain his vessel would explode before she was done, and yet the last thing he wanted was for her to stop. But stop she did, and all too soon, Arael was in the driver's seat, smiling at him. "All right?"

He nodded, breathing heavily as the young woman started the car. "You know, an attractive, sweet guy like you? It's a wonder you haven't gotten laid yet."

Castiel immediately thought of the strip club Dean had brought him to shifted uncomfortably. "All my other attempts have failed."

"Fair enough." They pulled out of the parking lot. "But you are okay with this? I've never done the whole casual thing before."

He looked at her in a burst of confidence. "I have never done any kind of thing."

Ara pressed on the gas.


	2. Hour Two

Hi guys! So, second chapter... Thanks so much to DiaDeLosMuertos for reviewing! Hope you guys enjoy :)

**Warning: This is basically all smut. If you're uncomfortable with hardcore smut, skip this chapter, you'll still understand what's going on next chapter!**

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HOUR TWO

The car ride was full of nervous energy and sideways glances, however shy and slightly awkward. Ara was nervous because the casual thing was something she'd never even considered before a couple of days ago… Cas was just about to vomit from anxiety.

Forget the fact that he had never engaged in any kind of sexual act, with or without another person… He didn't even know what he liked to _eat_. How was he supposed to please another person if he had never pleasured himself?

Looking out the window, it was so easy to grasp that he was in way over his head. But when he turned to the female driving, the thought process changed. Cas had no idea how, but it did. And suddenly his brain had short-circuited and he could only give shy smiles and feel his heart beat out of control. His stomach felt like it dropped another five feet with every passing minute, but the angel found the sensation not entirely unpleasant. That, coupled with the slow torture of wanting more physical contact but not allowing himself any was actually kind of… good. In a weird, needs-to-stop-soon sort of way.

Then all of a sudden they were in her driveway, kissing again over the console.

Then they were stumbling towards her door, hands groping at each other's clothing. Ara pulled away quickly, rooting around in her bag for her key as Cas looked on in a mix of excitement and complete befuddlement. Now what? What was he supposed to do as she looked around in her bag? He supposed the more polite thing would be to leave her to it… but there was an ever growing part of him that wanted nothing more than to press against her back, touching her all over.

He had taken a step forward to do just that when the young woman produced the key with a grin. "Got it." Unlocking the door, Arael took her angel's hand and led him into the house, surprised when he closed the door and pushed her into it, kissing her forcefully. It was all she could do to brace herself against the piece of wood and body pressed to hers, toes curling. Her hands stuck in his hair as his explored her torso, intuitively fixated on the area where her jeans met her skin.

Cas was amazed by the way she melted against him, especially when he had thrown her up against her front door (which had surprised even himself). The young woman groaned in a way Castiel had never really heard before… save for the snippets of anime pornography he'd caught Dean watching. But even then, they didn't sound like this.

Nothing compared to the real thing.

Her touch, her smell, the way she felt and sounded as he discovered her… it was empowering. Empowering and intoxicating.

Somehow, the pair made it to the bedroom, a messy trail of discarded clothing in their wake. Ara's shirt had gotten stuck, and Cas had almost tripped getting his pants off. As for the socks… Well, there was really no way to take those off each other, so both parties took care of the items themselves, exchanging glances and anxious grins.

Castiel was having a hard time processing every emotion and physical sensation he was feeling. On the one hand, just being naked with this girl felt nice. He liked touching and kissing her. On the other, it wasn't nearly enough. The angel was hot and hard and ready, instinct urging him in the right direction. At this point, he wasn't sure if it was his instinct or Jimmy Novak's, but he figured that it didn't matter either way.

He needed her _now._

Ara was excited and impatient and extremely nervous. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I mean, she really didn't know Castiel at all. Hell, she didn't even know his _last name_. Talk about classy. She needed to stop. She had been stupid, she had tried to act out of her normal behavioural pattern, she had met a really great guy who she was just getting to know… She should wait. She should do the safe thing and wait until she really got to know him.

But she didn't _want_ to.

And that, the young woman thought wryly, must be the true meaning of spontaneity and recklessness, because against her better judgment, Arael threw all caution to the wind and unhooked her bra.

Getting inside Ara proved to be a challenge in itself, which frustrated her poor angel to hell and back. She had put the rubber on a while ago, something Cas vaguely knew of but was too distracted to ask about, and was now just focused on doing what he felt he needed to do. Anxiety made it a little more difficult, but the young woman encouraged him with soft kisses and whispered words: "Just there. Perfect, Cas. You're doing great."

However, upon entering her, Castiel discovered that dual pleasure was not necessarily the case. At least, not at first. He froze, tensed above her as she grimaced, not used to the sensation. He, though hazy, instinctually jerked forwards, causing the young woman to gasp in pain rather than pleasure. White-hot glory exploded in synapses across the angel's closing eyelids and he forced himself to stop, though in hindsight he had no idea how. She was hurt. Ara was hurt. He had _hurt _her. Cas took a deep breath, face burying into her neck in shame and drunken pleasure: "A-Ara?"

She took a shaky breath as her body adjusted. "'M fine." …But the angel still hadn't moved.

He was seeing stars already: the pressure on his sheathed manhood, the feeling of a human being so vulnerable underneath him as nerve endings were stimulated beyond what Cas thought had been their normal capacity…. It was a little much to take on. She squeezed him, hoping to elicit some sort of active response and only succeeded in making the man moan, his mouth pressing kisses to her skin wherever he could reach. His teeth scraped against her flesh once and she groaned, whimpering as he nipped at the skin on her neck, sucking and then soothing the area with his tongue. This he did consciously, some very animal, very _human_ part inside of him wanting all the world to see that she had chosen _him_.

Ara needed him to move. And so, using a trick she'd learnt a while ago, the young woman flipped her partner onto his back, almost cursing when he slipped out of her. She was rusty… When was the last time she'd had sex? Six months? A year?

Too long.

Ara eased herself back onto him, biting her lip and closing her eyes in ecstasy as Castiel looked on in complete and utter amazement. This woman was incredible. This woman was fantastic. This woman- _Oh Merciful Father._

Ara had started a slow rolling motion with her hips, one she was sure would have him spent in no time, but made her feel good nonetheless. She observed him underneath her, his eyes wide and body restless as he was given so many sensations, he had no idea what to do with them all. Arael then took his hands, placing them on her breasts and she looked down at the young man, grinning in an expression that soon morphed into a moan.

Because Castiel pushed back. Amidst the tweaking of her nipples and the wandering hands, the angel managed to push. She bit her lip with a squeak.

They started up a very discombobulated motion with their hips, so clumsy and arrhythmic that no order was established. When he'd push, she'd pull and vice versa… But then they'd get one right, and both parties would clutch to each other, gasping and touching. That one in every two or three was well worth it.

"Cas," Ara groaned as he touched her, fingers caressing and tracing her hips. There was something about the way she said his name that made him feel warm inside, warmer than anything he'd ever experienced. Feeling his muscles begin to contract beneath her, Ara squeezed him lightly again, causing the young man to make noises he never thought he'd be capable of.

And then he was falling, his body a complete mess of nerve endings and sensations as Ara rode him out, never reaching release herself. This she, surprisingly, didn't mind. Not that she was a particularly selfish lover, but not uncommonly, she liked experiencing pleasure.

This time, however, looking at the very spent and very exhausted face of the man below her, the young woman found she didn't mind at all. What should have been the weirdest night of her life, (complete with awkward and oddly satisfying sex,) turned out to be something she had really enjoyed. She liked spending time with this man… She liked the physical with him.

She would do it again.

He had a lot to learn, sure, and yes, it was disconcerting that he was in his thirties and this was his first time doing anything of the romantic variety, but she liked sleeping with him. Despite the fact that it should have been the worst sex of her life, she came away feeling light and happy. Relaxed. When it was bad, it was bad, but when it was good, holy hell was it ever good. He just needed practice, and Ara would be more than happy to help him learn.

That is, if he wanted to learn with her. Though new to the whole 'casual' thing, Arael was quickly learning that she was not good at it. She'd be sad to see Castiel go in the morning.

He was quirky and sweet, and the young woman was craving companionship. She didn't know if it was because it felt like her life was unstable, but she liked the consistency of having someone there.

Throwing the soiled condom in the trash by her bedside, Ara turned to the man beside her, smiling when he reached up to trace her face. Pulling her down on top of him, the angel wrapped an arm around her for no other reason than because he wanted to. It was funny, trusting all these new feelings, but Castiel found himself kind of enjoying it.

And then it hit him like a bus, and Cas tensed up ferociously, causing Ara to look at him in alarm. "What's wrong?"

"You were never pleasured," the angel murmured. "I failed in my task."

She smiled at him, kissing his mouth as warmth and an incredible affection bubbled in her chest for him. Nobody had ever been so concerned with her needs. "It's okay," she replied, nibbling on his earlobe, "we'll just have to do this again."

"I'm sorry-"

She shook her head. "Why are you apologizing?"

He bit his lip nervously and Ara frowned, pecking the side of his mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was make him uncomfortable, but he needed to be less sensitive about this. He was a grown man. "Did you enjoy it?"

He spoke as if he had just insulted him: "Of course, I-"

She smirked. "Okay, then what's the big deal? You enjoyed yourself, I enjoyed myself… I'm seeing a win-win situation here."

He turned to her, regarding her so intensely she was tempted to look away. "I _will_ make it up to you."

Her entire body became warm, a large smile spreading across her face. "I look forward to it."

Cas' fingers trailed down her cheek to her clavicle as he traced the bone. She repressed a shiver. "I never told you how beautiful you are," he murmured, eyes trailing over her naked form. "I was thinking it the entire time but…"

The young woman bit her lip, red blossoming on her cheeks. "You keep talking like that, and we'll have to go for round two." Though tired, the angel's eyes darkened at her words. She held her ground, raising a challenging brow.

Castiel was never one to back down from a challenge.

It was better the second time around. Once again, foreplay was discarded for the act of simply kissing, though this time, Cas learned exactly how wonderful breasts were. The rhythm they established was divine, and Ara was just thinking how amazing his learning curve was when the angel drove into her in a way that released all the built up tension she had. He followed shortly after, panting as they held to each other tightly. "J-Jesus, Cas," Ara gasped. "You sure this is only the second time?"

He nodded, looking at her very seriously. He had told her, hadn't he? He remembered telling her that her had no experience before… Ara smiled at him and pressed a happy, gentle kiss to his mouth, catching the angel completely off guard. She smirked as she pulled away. "You've gone one amazing learning curve."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The fell asleep shortly after.

Castiel awoke to a darkened room, entwined in Ara and pleasantly warm. He felt a pressure in his bladder and frowned, groaning quietly and blinking his eyes open, disoriented. He'd slept. He had just woken up _from sleeping_.

Angels didn't sleep.

The pressure became more insistent and Cas carefully disentangled himself, padding down the hall to the bathroom and relieving himself.

Angels did not use the facilities.

Though this was extremely alarming for the Falling being, he found himself too tired to care. In fact, this entire debacle seemed to be some very specific, very odd dream. Making his way back, the young man paused in the doorway, looking at the brunette curled up in bed. He watched as she reached out for him in the space he'd previously occupied. When she didn't find him, Ara rolled over and buried her face in his pillow, inhaling deeply. Castiel found himself obsessing over her every detail, his eyes drawn to the cover that had slid down her body, just barely covering her posterior.

Hesitantly, the angel stepped forward, climbing onto the bed and slowly leaning down, softly pressing his mouth to the base of her spine.

He wanted her again. Properly …Not rushed, not clumsy. Castiel wanted to take his time and learn every inch of this human; to map out every dip and curve of her supple body. He wanted to make love. Not that he knew what that entailed, exactly, but he understood the gist of it. He understood the connotation logically.

Castiel wanted this night to be burned into his memory for the rest of however long forever lasted.

He was a lot less nervous this time. Whether it was because he now knew what to expect, or just that he'd miraculously become more comfortable with the entire situation, he wasn't sure… But he was more confident. And confidence was half the battle with these things.

Originally, he'd had some semblance of a course of action… though that plan had been thrown out the window the minute he began. With the smell and texture and taste of her skin, there was no way he could concentrate on what he had to do next… so, he went with it.

For the first time, Cas truly took advantage of his freedom. No rules. No plan.

He worked his way up the line of her spine, his kisses soon becoming open-mouth as he laved his tongue over her skin, fingers trailing up her sides. The appendages stayed fixated at the bottom of her breasts while his mouth continued upward, eventually wriggling his way up to kiss the delicate curve of her neck.

She sighed. "Mmm, Cas?"

She smelled of lavender and lily of the valley, and the angel hummed against her skin in reply, feeling his vessel's physical response almost immediately after.

He pulled away for half a second and Ara took the opportunity to roll onto her back, smiling up at the angel with half-lidded eyes. He kissed her, a real kiss that sent blood racing to even her toes. Bringing her as close as possible, Castiel wrapped his arms around the smaller being, their noses and foreheads touching. Ara looked at him drowsily, smiling in content as a hand brushed across her cheek. "You are so beautiful," he breathed.

"You are, too," she replied in like tones, a hand running through his hair. The whole thing seemed very serious, very grown-up… not like before. "Everything alright?"

The angel nodded, kissing her a couple more times before pulling away and looking at her, a hand on her cheek. He pressed his mouth to her pink one again, travelling down to nibble at her neck, then her collarbone. Ara could to little else than lie back and feel. He woke her body slowly with soft kisses and tender touches, pressing a kiss to each nipple before worshipping her stomach, his hands and arms around her hips and legs. He loved her legs.

The brunette was more than awake by now, and made small sounds of pleasure as Castiel continued his ministrations slowly. He'd press his mouth to her, run his fingers over her soft flesh, and immediately look up to see her reaction. At first, Ara was so saturated with sleep and pleasure she couldn't understand what was going.

And then she did.

He wasn't only needing her again… He was _exploring._ The young woman was speechless, looking at him in complete and utter amazement as he kissed her left hipbone, causing the young woman to inhale sharply. Eyes brighter, Castiel repeated the action, smiling slightly at her whimper of pleasure.

Ara immersed her hands in his now unruly hair. Tugging, she pulled him up for a kiss, needing more than anything to touch him and end the slow torture he insisted on putting her through. And, honestly, she was having trouble believing what was happening. Any minute, the young woman was certain she'd wake up in bed alone, hot and bothered and tangled in the sheets. Things like this didn't happen in real life.

But she never woke up. Not as he paid special attention to her breasts, discovering she liked soft touches more than anything else; not as he travelled downwards, pressing wet, open-mouthed kisses to her skin, making her squirm; not as he looked up at her before pressing his mouth to her sex.

Ara couldn't stop the squeak from escaping her lips as the angel kissed her mound again, hesitating before dipping his tongue into her folds, Ara's fingers gripping his hair tightly. "_Cas_."

The sound shot straight to his groin and Castiel repeated the action, his tongue hitting a small nub that made the young woman bite her lip, hard. She wasn't loud like the women on Dean's computer, the angel observed, she was quiet, expressing herself mostly in small gasps and sharp intakes of breath, in bitten lips and squirms.

It made him nervous, not overtly hearing her approval of his actions, but as he continued, the angel came to appreciate her more silent approach. It felt very… intimate, knowing that only he could hear this human, that she was vulnerable and making her quiet noises exclusively for him.

So he touched the pink bud again. And again. And watched in fascination as the young woman came undone beneath him, brows knitted and eyes closed as she breathed heavily, her hips coming up to meet him. He tasted her skin, and very soon she was slick; a salty, musky juice coated his tongue. The angel paused at the taste, not entirely sure he liked it, before trying again and again, deciding that whatever his judgment, her reactions to his ministrations were too fantastic to stop. Ara had become a pile of soft flesh and sensation, unable to do anything but feel and babble: "Cas, baby, please. I need… Please, Cas, I need… _Fuck."_

At this last word, Castiel felt exactly how ready for her he was. He felt himself twitch, the action more painful than anything else. He grimaced, and Ara was too pleasure-drunk to notice. She did, however, notice when he stopped, the young man looking at his erect manhood curiously.

Arael took this opportunity to kiss him, gently pushing him onto his back, tasting herself of his tongue. Both she and he found this strangely erotic, despite the fact that Cas thought it also a little weird. The angel's heart pounded as he lay prone on the bad, anticipating the next moment when she'd no doubt take him inside her, relieving him of the pressure in his groin.

But she did nothing of the sort. Instead, he watched, confused, as Ara kissed her way down his torso, sucking and nibbling at his nipples on the way. He enjoyed that immensely, rubbing himself on her in an attempt to get some relief as he did… If he became any harder, Castiel was sure he'd explode.

Ara paused right above his shaft, pressing a chaste kiss to its base and wrapping her hand around him, a finger pressing ever so slightly into his slit before smearing pre-cum around his engorged head. A series of loud, unintelligible noises ensued. Immediately, Cas' hands gripped Ara's hair almost painfully, watching as she smiled at him, moving to kiss his scrotum, her tongue moving over the skin in a way that made his eyes roll back into his head. "A-Ara, _please_."

He didn't even know what he was begging for.

But she did.

The woman in question acquiesced to his plea, taking him into her mouth in one relatively smooth movement. Castiel would have moaned to the point of a yell… But his voice was completely gone. Instead, the angel closed his eyes tightly, breathing heavily as Ara started a steady bobbing movement that too quickly became much too slow. He pushed her head down, barely hearing her gag, frowning and whimpering as she pushed herself completely up, releasing him with a small 'pop'. "No, _no, please_."

"Cas," she said gently, forcing his attention to her with a kiss. "Cas, you can't push my head down like that, okay? Please, don't do that."

"Kay. A- _Ara_."

She had gone down on him again, sucking on him exquisitely as he made a conscious effort not to push her head down, white-knuckling her hair instead. When she pulled away for a second time, Castiel almost lost it: "No, no, stay. _Please_."

"Trust me?" she asked softly, pulling him up into a sitting position. The angel did as he was bid, holding onto her like a lifeline as she slipped a condom onto him and eased him inside her, both parties groaning as she did. Ara buried her head in Cas' neck, the angel's arms gripping her waist tightly. She was completely ready for him this time, and it was her partner that began to move, Arael quickly adhering to his slow rhythm. She was honestly amazed that he was able to keep it so measured… But it felt fantastic.

There were no words. Only meaningful sighs and groans, soft moans and looks. Ara kissed him hard, moving down to touch where they joined, a moan escaping her lips. As her hand pulled away to hold the back of his neck, Castiel experimentally touched their joined area as well, Ara's little noises of pleasure egging him on.

God, this felt _so good_.

Ara started a squeezing motion; her wet, warm walls moving against him in a way that made the angel close his eyes, his fingers never ceasing their rubbing and flicking motions on her clit. "_Castiel._"

He was close to snapping; close to that wonderful, awe-inspiring release. He told her so, mumbling into her neck and hair. "I- Ara, I-"

"I know."

Castiel suddenly drove into her _hard_, picking up the pace. He bit down on her earlobe and she felt herself beginning to snap, inches away from falling of the precipice and into white-hot gratification. With one last thrust, Arael fell, dragging her angel behind her as she stumbled headlong off the pleasure cliff, clutching to Cas as if her life depended on it.

Just as she was his lifeline, he was hers.

And then they were merely holding each other, bodies slick with sweat and sex, exhausted. Ara opened her eyes first, pulling away from the angel ever so slightly to run a finger over his sweat-covered brow. He opened his eyes blearily.

"Hi," she breathed, smiling.

He nuzzled her nose. "H-Hi."

Later, Ara would marvel over how incredibly close and wonderful it felt to be with Castiel. He kissed her as if they'd been lovers forever, touched her as if he worshiped all her little dips and curves, and felt like light after an eternity of darkness. Though she had never been starved of light, it was almost like she had not truly experienced it until just then, sitting in bed with him. It was ludicrous, she knew, but it felt truthful. Ara felt like she had known Cas for eternity, like this act of love—Because it was most definitely that—was something they'd always done.

But they had only just met.

Castiel watched as the young woman before him blushed, her hair askew and eyes tired but bright, body flushed and beautiful for him. She practically glowed… And he had done that. He had evoked such feelings in another person. He had made a positive difference on a monumental scale.

And he would remember her forever.

The angel kissed her in an act that seemed final and foreboding, and Ara frowned as he pulled away, a rogue tear falling from the corner of her right eye. She never cried during or after sex, and could not understand why she was, but Castiel wiped the offending liquid away anyway, kissing her again.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly, lowly.

"Yes. Yes, I'm perfect. I'm… thank you."

"No," he replied, a slight shake to his head, "thank _you_."

She hugged him then, pressing her mouth to his neck as she sighed into his skin. "Are _you_ all right?"

He once again marveled at this human; this normal, naïve human who was so concerned for him. The angel pulled away, looking at her as he cupped her face, thumbs caressing her cheeks. "I am more wonderful than I think I've ever been."

The entire thing had an air of finality to it that Ara was uncomfortable with, and that Cas knew was essential, however undesirable. He couldn't stay with her. Much he would have liked to stay in bed with this woman, this wonderfully flawed creation of God, until the end of time itself, he had duties. Responsibilities. His rational mind couldn't afford any sort of distraction or liability.

But he wanted this liability. He wanted her more than he'd ever selfishly wanted anything in his long existence. Castiel had been a good warrior. He had sacrificed for the greater good. Even now he was fighting the good fight for the most worthy cause, a cause that again, involved sacrifice.

But he did not want to lose her. Perhaps he'd known her for less than a day, but this woman had made him feel more normal and loved in that short time than anybody else ever had. He finally felt wanted and appreciated for who he was. Ara was kind and patient and lovely, and he'd be damned if he lost something so precious.

And so, Castiel lay down, entangled in bed sheets and Ara herself, as a war waged in his ever-active mind. He knew what the right thing to do by Heaven would have been. Actually, Heaven would have punished him for engaging in such a crude act with a human… Which was wrong. Because there was nothing immoral about sex with a human, sex was wonderful. It was an amazing, gratifying experience.

But that did not mean staying was right.

Truly, the angel knew that Ara was not worth his time. She had nothing to offer him but her affections and company, which at the moment were technically worthless. He knew this, and he would have left her immediately after the fact, but for that small part of him that was slowly growing. That part of him that whispered:

_Freedom._

So, Castiel cuddled into his partner, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.


	3. Hour Three

Hey guys! This is chapter three. Some of you may have noticed that I've changed the title of the story to 'Waking Hours'... that's because **I've edited the first two chapters**. I wasn't happy with the first one at all, so I tweaked it. Nothing major has changed, besides the fact that Ara and Cas don't share their philosophical views within the first five minutes of meetings. That felt a little forced and fake to me, so I edited it out and changed things around a bit. The cliff notes if you don't want to go back and read:

**Arael meets Cas in a local, organic market where she volunteers to pass the time. After losing her job, she figures she should do more than sit around her house, moping, eating and watching bad porn.**

**Castiel can still zap around. I'm trying to be as true to the show as usual and was having a hard time working in where in his state of Falling this story started. Chapter One begins a couple of days after they get back from 1979. Cas, Dean and Sam are all crammed into a motel room because Castiel is weak, and on top of that, the Winchesters cannot find any cases. Tensions are running high, arguments are being had, and Cas leaves the motel, beginning the story :)**

That's basically it. I changed a couple of words in the second chapter, but nothing major :P I'm more happy with this version of events, and I hope you are, too. Sorry for any confusion... and hopefully you enjoy the third chapter

Last but certainly not least: thank you so much to everybody who favourited and read, especially to krikanalo and the misery chick for reviewing!

* * *

HOUR THREE

Arael stretched, fingertips hitting the headboard as she groaned, eyes fluttering open. Her room was painted golden in the morning light and the young woman smiled sleepily as last night's activities came crawling back at the edges of her consciousness. She turned to her bedfellow, grin quickly morphing into a frown.

He wasn't there.

Biting her lip, Ara tried to swallow the panic that crawled up her throat. Who said he left? He could just as easily be in the bathroom, or watching TV or in the kitchen. He seemed like the kind of guy who'd make breakfast after an amazing night… A guy like Cas wouldn't just leave. Not after all that. He was probably making her breakfast.

So, Ara shrugged on a baggy sweatshirt long enough to cover her posterior, slid on some undies, and tried, unsuccessfully, not to get her hopes up.

But he wasn't in the bathroom.

And he wasn't in the TV room.

And Arael was met with an empty kitchen.

Which was logical, she thought, trying to avoid the sinking sensation in her gut. It was a one-night stand. Granted, a mind-blowing one, but one nonetheless. This is what she had wanted, wasn't it? Ara squeezed her eyes shut. Stupid. She was stupid. He probably acted clueless and endearing to get every girl he'd ever pulled… Because holy hell, was his learning curve ever insane. She leaned on the kitchen counter and sighed, looking at her coffee machine as if it had committed a personal offence. Coffee would make her feel better, she wanted coffee… but she didn't want to have to make it. Sucking it up, the brunette climbed up on the countertop, reaching for the ground beans. She'd sit outside today, she decided, on the porch at the front. It had a nice view and she could read a book. That'd get her mind off things. Ara bit her lip. She wasn't upset at him, not really. Technically, he hadn't done anything wrong. She was more upset at herself.

Putting in a new filter, ground coffee, water, and pressing the 'on' button, the young woman made her way outside. Arael had wraparound porch, and one of those swings to go with it. She'd bought some pillows for it a while ago so it was especially comfortable and just so happened to be her favourite place on her small property.

Speaking of the porch, a cold panic took her. The brunette sincerely hoped her car was till there. All Cas had wanted was a ride in the first place, right? What was to stop him from leaving with her crappy little Honda? Last night, she had just left everything where it lay: wallet, keys, clothes… everything. In fact, her t-shirt was still decorating the hallway floor.

Getting to the front door, Ara cursed to find that it wasn't properly closed. When she slipped out, she almost had a heart attack:

Castiel.

Cas wasn't in the bathroom, or watching TV, or making breakfast. He wasn't stealing her car. He was sitting on her porch swing, looking at her with a small smile that was altogether nervous and excited and content. "Good morning."

"Hi!" the young woman replied, quickly adjusting her tone self-consciously. Was it weird to be relieved? She didn't want to seem over-eager (even though she most definitely was). "I… thought you'd left."

The angel shook his head, completely still despite the fact that his vessel wanted to fidget uncontrollably. Why was she asking that? Did she want him to leave? "You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to disturb your slumber."

His blue eyes seemed to pierce her soul, and Ara was suddenly made aware that she hadn't looked in a mirror. Normally, she had no reason to… But the young woman suddenly found herself wanting to look pretty for Castiel, and she was certain her head looked like a rat's nest. She blushed faintly. "Um, thanks. Do you, uh, do you want anything? I'm making coffee. And I have tea, and bread. I think I've got some eggs and Bisquick, so I could make some pancakes. Or, I mean, if you just want eggs, I'm really only good at scrambled, but I can get away with over-easy."

Cas recognized the beginnings of hunger start to gnaw at the edge of his stomach and tried not to think of how uneasy it made him feel. He didn't want to eat. Eating meant he was animal, that he needed sustenance and his vessel was no longer just a form he'd taken. However, the angel's growling stomach insisted upon being fed, and Castiel looked up at his companion, not only unsure amidst the selection, but hating that fact. "I… don't know. Bread?" Sam and Dean ate bread all the time.

"How about toast with butter?" Ara suggested. "I make a mean toast with butter."

"Yes, please." He had heard Dean talking about toast, once.

"I'll be right back." She made her way to the door, unsure of how she was supposed to act in this particular situation. Did they hug? Did they kiss? Did they just ignore everything that had happened the night before? Cas called her name and Arael paused, turning back. "Yeah?"

He was nervous but stood up anyway, walking to stand right in front of her. "I… I would like to kiss you. If that's… if that's alright."

Ara found herself grinning stupidly. "I think I could be alright with that," she replied playfully, leaning forward a little. "But you don't need to ask permission. Not for this. For _this_, you ask a different way."

The young woman moved towards him torturously slow, nose brushing against his as her grin broke into a smile at the way he mimicked her actions, looking at her altogether curious and rapt. And then she stopped, painfully close to his mouth. "You pause," she breathed, looking at him through slitted lids. "You wait to see if the other person moves away. And if they don't…"

Ara pressed her mouth to his, eyes fluttering shut as he hummed contentedly. He immersed his fingers in her hair as her hands moved to rest on the waistband of his pants, inside his trench coat. Cas was the one to pull away, peppering her lips with small kisses as he did. He then wrapped his lover in a hug, enjoying her company, but anxious at how much he seemed to want the physical comfort she provided him with.

A small voice told him that every minute he spent with her was a moment wasted.

A second voice told him that this was dangerous. Despite being cut off from Heaven, he was still an angel, and he was still prohibited to engage in coitus with a mortal.

A third voice told him to fuck it all.

For now, the angel went with the selfish third counsel, despite the fact that he felt it was wrong. If he was going to be living on Earth, some part of him, the part that was slowly growing, figured that he may as well do it properly.

So, Castiel followed Ara to the kitchen, and watched curiously as she made four toasts. He watched as she placed bread into a toaster, took it out golden, and spread butter on it. He watched as she placed two in a plate for him, sliding it in his direction, before taking a hungry bite of her own.

He did the same.

It was pleasantly crunchy and warm, and the angel enjoyed the slippery, salty, fatty taste of the butter, licking his lips to cherish every crumb and morsel of food. He was starving, and it was _so good_…

Ara watched with a raised brow as Castiel devoured his toast. He ate as if this was the first meal he'd had in a millennium. The brunette voiced this, smiling as he stopped cold, cheeks round and full. He swallowed, looking at her with all the seriousness of a two year-old handing an adult a banana phone. "Almost. I had ice cream last night."

Putting some more bread into the toaster, the young woman grinned, not understanding that he wasn't joking. Cas continued, brows knitting together. "It is curious though, that I'm so hungry."

"Right. Why would you be starving after a night of rousing physical activity?"

A nod from the man across from her as he took another bite of toast and swallowed. Again, he looked her in the eye seriously, though this time, he seemed relieved… As if he was glad that somebody finally understood. "That was the exact question I had asked myself."

Ara buttered another toast and handed it to the angel, continuing to munch on her own. She wasn't sure if he was being serious, but figured that if he was, she'd just add that to the pile of ever-growing Weird Things About Castiel and move on. So what if he didn't get sarcasm? "What are your plans for the day?"

Plans. Cas suddenly sat up completely straight, eyes wide. The Winchesters. He had completely forgotten about the freaking _Winchesters_. For the first time in his long existence, Castiel felt pure, unbridled panic. _Free _panic. How could he forget Sam and Dean? They were his _responsibility_. The fate of the world rested on the shoulders of those two boys… And he just _forgot_ about them?! "I need to go." For all Cas knew, they had killed each other by now.

Which, he supposed, was one way to avert the apocalypse.

"O-Oh. Okay." Ara tried not to seem put out by his abrupt manner and faked a smile. Her partner paid her no mind even if he did see it, shoving an impressive quantity of bread into his mouth before wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He started for the door.

"Cas, wait. I promised you a ride."

Five minutes later, the pair were in the car, Castiel staring out the window quietly. His entire body was tensed, and the young woman bit her lip. She wasn't good at these sorts of things. Was it all right to ask what was wrong? Or should she just let it be? I mean, she didn't really know him, and it wasn't like she'd ever see him again… The latter made her sad, but she shook the emotion off quickly. It was a one-night stand for God sakes. Time to put on her big girl pants and get over it.

In the end, Ara asked the question anyway: "You okay?"

He didn't hear her, too panicked and confused and scared to do much else but think. He had never forgotten anything before. Ever. And he had never felt such an onslaught of negative emotion… It was crippling. All of it was crippling. Was he losing his mind? Did sex make you forget things? No, that was ridiculous, people had sex all the time and they seemed perfectly fine. Was it Ara? Was she some sort of… thing? A witch? No, he would have known. He still knew that much, at least.

He wanted to pound his head against the nearest hard surface in frustration. He wanted answers. And, more than anything, he wanted to forget about everything and wrap himself in Ara.

Which only succeeded in making him worry tenfold.

Of her part, Arael persisted. "Cas, are you all right?"

He did hear her this time, though the angel found himself nodding his head instead of shaking it. A lie. Why was he lying to her? He wasn't okay. Not even a little bit. And yet, the lie came so _easily_. He didn't want to trouble her.

Ten minutes later, they were parked in the same space as the night before, though this time, everything had a very business-like air. Cas turned to his companion, a small close-lipped smile adorning his face. "Thank you, Ara. I had a wonderful time." He then gave her the quickest peck in the history of stolen kisses, and was out of the car, entering his hotel room without looking back.

Ara bit her lip, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as she watched him go. "Bye."

Pulling into her driveway, the young woman got out of the car, taking the newspaper from the porch and turning to the Job section automatically. She sat on her swing for a good ten minutes before going inside. Ara had never been one for sentimentality, but it was embarrassing how much she wanted to see him again.

Flopping onto the couch with a groan, the young woman took a highlighter from her coffee table and began the routine of circling jobs. Two and a half decades of schooling and this is what she wound up with: random babysitting jobs and odd waitressing gigs. She needed to move away; there was no real work for her in this part of the States… But ever since she'd lost her primary source of income, she'd had nothing. Not to mention that finding anything in the current economy was a feat in itself. She had been lucky: straight out the gate, another lab had approached her, asking if she'd join their research team… but Ara had lasted two weeks before getting fired. It turns out that the boss does not take kindly to changing the direction of current projects because they logically don't make any sense.

So now, Ara volunteered at the local community garden and market to pass the time. She had no prospects, and no way to move to a place where job opportunities in her field were easier to come by. Thank God her mother had completely owned the property on which she was currently living, because Ara was already living paycheck to paycheck.

Circling an add for an ice cream shop, the young woman bit her lip, smiling as she thought back to the previous evening, especially when Cas had had the cold treat on his nose. Immediately after that thought, the young woman scrunched her eyes shut, throwing her head against a pillow.

She was screwed.

Castiel, on the other hand, was doing great. Well, as great as an angel in the midst of his first mental breakdown could be doing. Despite the fact that he'd been met with no skepticism as per his whereabouts the night before, the angel could feel himself unraveling. This was probably due to the fact that, though he had tried, Cas could not manage to truthfully tell Sam or Dean where he'd been the previous evening. And though he liked having Ara exclusively to himself, Castiel had an issue with lying… especially to the older Winchester.

Besides, some part of him desperately wanted to tell somebody about his sexual exploits.

Frowning, the angel looked at himself in the motel bathroom mirror, not entirely sure he liked what he saw, let alone if he could recognize it. Cas was changing. He was eating, sleeping, burping, and starting to smell _ripe_, as Dean had eloquently put it.

He was becoming human, and he was not ready.

Closing the bathroom door, the angel shed his newly filthy clothes, feeling different about being naked than he previously had. It wasn't that he had been uncomfortable before… He just felt more comfortable now. Proud, even. More confident.

Fiddling with the water as he turned it on, Castiel spent the next ten minutes trying to figure out how the shower worked and how warm he wanted the water. The angel then spent another five minutes disrobing, and took his sweet time underneath the warm spray, lathering his body with a newfound curiosity and perspective. He could remember Arael touching his chest and stomach in the exact places he was rubbing soap on his body. It made him appreciate his human form; look upon it with respect rather than just a state of being.

"Cas! What, did you drown or something? You're going to use all the hot water, dude!"

The angel turned off the tap, stepped out of shower, and promptly opened the door, causing both Winchesters to shield their eyes and protest loudly. Castiel was confused. "Cas, man, get a towel!"

"I don't understand," the angel frowned. "Do we not all possess the same genetalia?"

"Yeah, but—Cas, just put on a goddamn towel. I can't explain this to you when you're naked, man." Awkwardly, Castiel wrapped himself in a towel and exited the bathroom, plumes of steam following in his wake. Dean looked at him incredulously. "You _don't_ walk naked into a room full of dudes, Cas. Ever. After a shower, you use a freaking _towel_ and put on some clothes."

"I don't understand."

Rolling his eyes, the older Winchester walked away, reaching into his duffel for some fresh clothing. He handed the articles to the angel. "You just don't do it, okay? Nobody wants to see your junk."

"I do not see how useless rubbish has anything to do with my vessel."

"_Junk_," Dean replied. "You know, your… manly parts."

"You mean my penis."

"_Really?_"

From the opposite end of the room, Sam interjected, eyes trained on the piece of paper in front of him. "Hey guys, I found something. You ever hear of two people eating each other to death?"

The older Winchester's brows almost touched his hairline and he looked at the angel expectantly. Cas shook his head. "That's not something I have ever encountered or heard of. Cannibalism, yes, there were many cultures that felt the act of consuming another human's flesh was-"

"_Okay_. Thanks for the history lesson, but I dropped out of school for a reason. Sam?"

"Not to far from here, maybe a three hour's drive." He looked up form his laptop. "It seems weirder than normal, but is definitely our kind of thing. I… think we should take it."

"You sure you're gonna be alright?" Dean asked.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Seriously? Did we not _just _finish ignoring each other after having this conversation?"

Cas took this opportunity to escape into the bathroom, putting on Dean's clothes and looking at himself in the dirty mirror. The fabric was wash-worn and soft, and though he was certainly tall enough, the angel lacked the muscular girth that the clothing required. He looked small. Like a child playing dress-up.

Looking at his usual trench coat and suit, the angel cocked his head to the side, picking the material up of the ground and looking at it curiously. Maybe he could clean it. Maybe… Cas held the clothing up in front of him, concentrating hard. If he focused, he could feel the atoms vibrating between his fingers.

If he just moved the offending molecules out…

Castiel opened his eyes, finding his vantage point different from when he had closed them. Apparently, he was now lying on the bathroom floor. Frowning, the angel sat up, his vision spotting as he grabbed his suit jacket. It was clean, but it appeared that he had been knocked unconscious. Slightly panicked, Cas stripped Dean's clothing from body as if they had burned him, sliding on his regular outfit quickly. He felt more comfortable in Jimmy's clothes. More sure of himself. Secure.

Outside, the angel could hear the Winchesters gathering their things.

When Castiel exited the bathroom, neither Sam nor Dean noticed that his clothes had been cleaned, nor had they noticed the small droplet of blood creeping out of his left nostril. When he reached up to rub his nose, the angel looked at the red substance in something akin to curious alarm, getting rid of the offending liquid just as Dean turned around. "You coming with us?"

Was he? Though he knew that the brothers were not in a good place, Cas had to continue his search for God. It was their last hope.

Unbidden, the image of Arael come to mind: the way she smiled at him and kissed him and spoke with him, and the angel was hurled into yet another internal war. He needed to find his Father, this was not an option. The fate of the world depended on his ability to locate God… But he wanted to see Ara again. He liked her. He liked the fact that she made him feel relaxed and safe, that he felt that he could be completely alone in with her despite being on a planet with six billion other people. She was naïve. She was innocent. She was a breath of fresh air.

But Castiel could not allow himself to be distracted, not now, not when so much was at stake. So he attempted to ignore his newfound feelings, instead trying to regain some of his former, colder demeanor. "I must continue my search for God," the angel announced, standing in the middle of the room. "I will be in touch."

And wind rushed past his face, and colours blurred around him, and Cas was tired. He saw China and Alexandria and the Gardens of Babylon dissolve into nothing below him, trying to focus on the task at hand. In all honesty, Castiel was feeling a little hopeless: despite his unwavering Faith, his Father was making it extremely difficult to be found.

He stopped then, acutely aware of where he had landed, if not a little frustrated.

Directly in front of him, past an old Honda station wagon, hung a comfortable-looking porch swing.


	4. Hour Four

**Hi guys! Next chapter... Hope this one made up for the lateness of the other one! Thanks so much to krikanalo for being my one and only reviewer, as well as the multiple follows and favourites for this. Thanks for reading, and please review! They make my day. Every time. Even if it's just a smiley face. But now I'm grovelling... Onwards!**

* * *

HOUR FOUR

It became an obsession.

Whenever Castiel would feel particularly hopeless (which happened more often than the angel cared to admit), he'd fly to that backwater town, searching everywhere for Ara. Sometimes, just seeing her was enough; other times, they'd stop to chat. These conversations usually consisted of everything and nothing, and ended with the young woman giving her angel a quick kiss goodbye. The aforementioned angel would then resume his paternal search, feeling infinitely more hopeful than he had upon arrival. Planet Earth was finite, after all.

These visits had been happening for about a week when Ara got fed up. Castiel had cornered her on her way back form a late night jog, running for a ways to catch up to her and make it seem as if he'd just seen her from afar. "Ara!" he called, out of breath and exhausted.

He was drained. The angel had only just returned from seeing Famine, and despite all that had transpired, Cas had left Bobby's with only a porch swing on his mind. Which, of course, made him feel guilty. What right did he have to happiness when his friends were in pain? He should be focusing on solutions to a dire problem. But the young man found that he couldn't help himself.

Everything was such a mess: the Horsemen, Lucifer, God, and now _Sam_… Ara would make it better. Make _him _better. She would keep him sane. Give him hope. After all, he was fighting for people like her. For her.

Cas reached his human out of breath, filing the concern for his tired vessel away somewhere to be dealt with later. "Hi."

"Are you going to ask me out?" Was her way of greeting. The young woman's eyes widened in embarrassment and alarm, and though Cas was made aware she hadn't said that purposefully, it didn't make it any better.

"W-What?"

"I mean," the young woman bit her lip as her cheeks blossomed red. "I mean… Would you like to go out? Or just come over. You could come over tonight. Or tomorrow. Tomorrow works, too. Maybe just to see a movie or something. Or not. I mean, I know this really great drive in theatre not to far from here. They're showing Forrest Gump this week." Ara rocked back and forth on her heels nervously, her blood pressure only rising as Cas remained silent, looking at her like a deer caught in headlights. Incredibly uncomfortable, the brunette continued to speak, somehow feeling that as long as she was explaining herself, she was less of an idiot: "We don't have to do that either. We could just do nothing. Or just keep seeing each other like this. Or, you know, we could go out. Like to a bar. I'm not really a big drinker but-"

At this point, Castiel was beyond overwhelmed. The fact that Ara was using words in a context he did not understand made her hard to follow, and the speed and nervous tone to her voice only increased the feelings of panic he was experiencing. When she had started, Cas had been inclined to tell his brunette that they went out all the time. In fact, 98% of all their interactions took place outdoors. As she continued, however, the angel realized she meant something else… Romance. Arael was proposing official romantic involvement.

Officially.

He didn't know how this made him feel. Excitement, for one. And panic. Nervousness. Happiness. Fear. Uncertainty and certainty fought valiantly in his chest, as did duty, honor, and responsibility.

Why?

Because Castiel was certain of three things:

1. He wanted romantic involvement.

2. He was simultaneously certain that course of action was wrong.

3. He needed to save the world.

Couldn't he do both? Couldn't he zap back and forth, from one life to another, for the rest of eternity? Reason told him no. But that part of him, that part that acted up when Ara was near, told him that there had been worse odds before.

"A movie sounds wonderful," Cas cut her off, smiling nervously. The angel enjoyed watching movies, and was under the impression that such an activity was a stereotypical American date.

Ara seemed unable to contain her excitement, despite the fact that she was very obviously trying. "Great! I mean, cool. I mean, I'm really… That's really-"

For the second time that evening, Castiel cut her off. He stepped forward, taking a gamble with something he had seen in a romantic comedy film. Swallowing his nerves, the angel pressed his mouth to hers quickly and sweetly, pulling away almost immediately after contact. "You speak excessively when you experience superfluous feelings of joy or anxiety," he murmured softly, mouth quirking up in a small smile.

He said that like it as the most confusingly adorable thing he'd ever observed.

Ara bit her lip, blushing furiously as his fingers trailed over her cheekbone, his fingers cold against the heat of her skin before he let the appendages fall, arm hanging limply at his side. Arael then draped her arms about the angel's neck, standing on her tiptoes as she stumbled into him, forcing Cas to wrap his arms around her waist tightly to steady them both. His brows shot up to his hairline in surprise, relaxing when he felt her mouth against his; her supple form pressing into his comfortingly. Her kisses were soft and slow, and she made a small, happy noise as the angel's tongue swiped across hers. She tasted of earth and sweat and sunshine. Stability.

When Ara pulled away, she rested her forehead against his, biting her swollen, wonderfully pink lip through a smile. Castiel enjoyed looking at her from his vantage point. He could clearly make out every one of her freckles. "You're very attractive," the young woman said softly, randomly. Cas felt a ridiculous amount of pride. For what, he wasn't entirely sure, but he had never been more proud of his human body than in that moment. The angel smiled at her, and she grinned back, stepping away and threading her fingers between his as she looked down at their hands, flushed and warm from kissing. "What time tomorrow?"

As they worked out the semantics-how was it she didn't have his phone number? Did he want her to pick him up?- Ara was struck once again by how otherworldly her companion seemed. And not only in his demeanor and general lack of working knowledge. Sometimes, when he'd turn or the light would hit him just so, catching his eyes and the darkness of his hair, the young woman could have sworn he looked almost angelic. Well, what she imagined angelic would look like if angels existed, which was a ridiculous idea in itself.

"So, meet at my house, eight o'clock, we'll go see Forrest Gump," Ara repeated with a grin. "It's a date."

She bid him goodnight and began to walk towards her house, stopping only when Cas called her name again. Turning in confusion, the young woman cocked her head to the side, brows up in surprise when he stole yet another kiss from her. "Okay," he breathed, looking at her from under heavy eyelids. "Goodnight."

"…Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"_Goodnight, Castiel_." She pressed her mouth to his cheek then, waving goodbye and moving towards her home. The angel watched her go with a smile of his own.

_It's a date._

Castiel would had liked to say that he searched well the following day; that all his energy and attention had been focused on finding his Father. Unfortunately, that would have been a lie. In fact, roughly 50% of his mind was, at any given moment, occupied with thoughts of Ara. What was she doing? Was she nervous? Excited? Was she thinking about him as much as he thought about her?

What did 'going out' entail?

Would he have to act differently? What would be expected from him? Would they have sex again? Did she want sex as much as he did?

Castiel had half a mind to go and seek the help of Dean Winchester, despite the fact that he'd be teased into oblivion, and that Dean, the only other human he truly felt comfortable around, was currently in turmoil over the state of his younger brother. No, the angel couldn't ask for help… It was wrong to walk into such a serious, tense situation and ask about frivolity. Which brought Cas to a conclusion he'd never really considered before:

He was _selfish_.

But it didn't feel that way. Castiel always assumed that selfishness felt negative, like you were actively pursuing something wrong… Which wasn't the case at all.

So, he did not end up asking Dean Winchester what a date consisted of. Instead, the young man flew to Paris and Italy under the pretense of looking for his Father. He searched Vatican City and the Louvre, keeping a sharp eye for any sign of his paternal figure… and looking at every couple with interest. Which ones were on dates?

That was the _real_ question.

Approximately five hours later, Castiel had it down to a science: A date was an enjoyable activity where two people, who were romantically interested in one another, got to know each other better. It usually consisted of a meal (mostly supper), and then, sometimes, a movie. Both parties dressed nicely. After the main activity, the night usually ended with a kiss, or, in certain circumstances, sex.

It was the sex he found most interesting.

After all, there were many ways to go about it. And, Castiel realized in a mix of excitement and discomfort, he wanted to try them all.

Walking down a street in Montmartre, the angel passed a mirror, pausing to look at himself critically. If he was going to date Ara, he'd need to brush his hair and wash his teeth. He figured his clothes would be fine, but sniffed himself just to be sure.

Three minutes later, Castiel was desperately searching for a hairbrush and some free toothpaste.

For Ara, time passed slowly and then ridiculously fast. Her afternoon shift at It Takes a Village seemed to last a century, and walking home took an age. Upon arriving there, the young woman fiddled around nervously for a bit before deciding to screw it and get ready, disregarding the fact that it was four thirty in the afternoon. Though Ara was not necessarily a stranger to making herself look nice, she hadn't done it in a while.

But that doesn't mean it took her three and a half hours to get ready.

In fact, it took her forty-five minutes. And by the time she was done, Ara's legs were smooth, her brows were thick but tamed, and her eyes were outlined lightly in black liner.

Then came the waiting. First, she thought she'd read a book... But concentrating proved too difficult. Then, she thought she'd tend to the garden outside, which never ended up happening because she didn't want to ruin her dress. Finally, Ara settled on the best distraction known to man: food.

She ate some cold pizza, made a loaf of beer bread and put her stash of candy in a large Tupperware. By that time, it was six thirty. Grabbing another slice of pizza and a glass of water, the young woman sat down in front of the television, looking at the screen but not really seeing anything.

When Ara heard him knock, her heart was in her throat all over again... However, all the brunette's nerves dissipated when she opened the door and saw her angel fixing his hair.

Castiel was at his wits end. It had taken him forever to understand just how one brushed one's teeth, and flying proved to have mussed his hair all over again. Upon arriving at Ara's, he had seen his reflection through her window and immediately tried to make himself more presentable.

That was when she'd opened the door.

He'd had his tan trench coat draped over one arm and his tie hanging out of one of its pockets. His brows were furrowed in concentration and frustration and Ara could see that he'd undone the top couple of buttons of his white shirt.

The angel would never tell her, but he got the idea from a very aesthetically pleasing Italian man.

Castiel was frozen in place, more than a little embarrassed. But then Ara grinned, laughing through her smile, and he couldn't remember why he'd been self-conscious in the first place.

"You look great," she assured, taking him in. The fact that his tie and coat were missing from his usual ensemble made all the difference. It made him look more sophisticated, she decided, absently noting that his answering smile made him gorgeous. "Really, Cas. You look amazing."

He was so happy she thought so. "Thank you. And you..."

She was wearing a white sundress that cut off in the middle of her thighs, covered her chest in white, embroidered triangles, and came over her shoulders in very thin straps. Her hair was curly and glossy and she had pinned part of it back with what appeared to be a blue orchid. A look at her feet revealed plain white flip-flops. "You look exquisite," he murmured.

"Thank you." Her cheeks turned bright red, the colour hiding her freckles, and Cas offered his lady an arm.

"Shall we?"

"I just need to get my purse."

Ara grabbed a small, embroidered blue and white bag, her container of candy, and her angel's hand.

Cas kept his eyes on her for the entirety of their journey to the theatre. They had spoken little during the drive, and admittedly, it had been Ara doing most of the talking in the first place. But that was only because Castiel was having a hard time processing her physical appearance. It was incredible. Ara had always been moderately attractive, but she had hidden herself under heavy jeans or long basketball shorts, forever accompanied by enormous t-shirts. And now… though, he had seen her naked, he hadn't really _looked. _At the time, he had been so preoccupied with emotional awareness, the angel hadn't thought to truly observe her in her entirety. He knew her dips and curves up close, but would never have imagined that they'd present such an appealing image from further away.

It wasn't that Castiel did not think her naturally beautiful... He was just so amazed that when she dressed a certain way, the difference was so stark.

When they drove into the lot, Ara turned to her angel with a grin. "So, have you ever seen Forrest Gump?"

Cas shook his head, lips quirking up when she made a ridiculous noise he wasn't sure how he was supposed to interpret. "Seriously? You have not_ lived_! …It's my favourite movie."

"I look forward to watching it."

She nodded her head slightly in excitement and turned to roll the window down, greeting the ticket salesman with more enthusiasm than she'd ever been able to muster up before. The teenaged boy looked at her oddly. "Two for Forrest Gump?" he repeated.

"Yeah, thanks."

"That'll be fifteen dollars. Will you be wanting anything from the concession stand this evening?"

"No, thank you." Grabbing her purse from the backseat, the young woman handed him fifteen in cash, noticing the worn textbook in the booth as she did. "Linear Algebra?"

At her question, the boy looked up, suddenly awake. He nodded slowly.

"I hated that course," Ara told him, making friendly conversation as he handed her the tickets and receipt. "Math should never involve creativity."

Shooting her a small smile, the boy—Tyler, his nametag read-nodded. "The station is FM 92.4. Enjoy the movie, guys."

"Thanks."

Ara drove into the practically empty main lot, parking in front of the large screen as Castiel took everything in around him like a sponge. The screen was huge. Was such a large surface really necessary? The angel was just wondering how they would manage to hear anything when he noticed Ara staring at him. Curious, he looked at her, about to ask what the matter was when her expression stopped him cold. She just looked… happy. So incredibly content to be with him, in that small car, in the parking lot of a drive-in movie theatre. "Thanks for coming with me," she said softly.

"The pleasure is all mine," he assured her, "thank you for inviting me."

Castiel realized that he wanted to kiss her.

So he did.

Leaning forward as much as he could with his seatbelt, the angel languidly moved his mouth against hers, fingers at her jaw. Ara felt her insides turn to liquid and ran her tongue against his skin, sighing when he parted his lips for her. When Castiel pulled away, he pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose, too content to worry if the action was not considered normal. "I've been wanting to do that since you answered the door," he informed her gently.

Ara blushed. "I'm glad you did it."

A sudden bright white light permeated through the windshield, causing both parties to squint uncomfortably. "Is the movie starting?" Cas asked.

"Not yet. Soon, though." Ara fiddled with the radio, tuning it to FM 92.4. Immediately, an ad for the theatre concession stand sounded through the car speakers. Castiel was baffled by the ingenuity of it all; so _that _was how they'd hear what was going on.

Another car pulled into the lot and passed them, going to park in the back left corner, completely immersed in shadow. Cas looked at it curiously. "With all the room in the front, why did they park were you can't see?"

Ara shrugged. "Guess they're not watching the movie."

"But they came to see it," the angel argued. "Why pay to see a movie when you mean not to?"

"Well," she explained, "a drive-in theatre is a lot more private, right? I mean, you're not sitting directly beside strangers. And it's just as dark. If you wanted, you could stay in your car for the entire movie and it'd be like you were alone. So, some young couples have discovered that they can spend an evening here, doing whatever the hell they want, and their parents never have to know. It's cheaper than a motel, and you don't have to worry about being caught by public security." A sigh. "I remember those days… Holy hell, they're sure not wasting any time."

Cas looked at the Buick, eyes widening as it began to lightly rock back and forth. Ara whistled. "Hope they're being safe."

Though half of what she'd said went over his head, the angel understood the gist of it: two people, two young people, were having sex in that car. Looking to the vehicle at the other corner end of the lot, the angel frowned. "We're the only ones watching the movie."

"If you want." The young woman finished that thought with a coy smile, watching as her companion became flustered. She kissed his cheek. "Relax. It's just me, remember?" She reached onto the back seat and pulled a blanket forward. "Let's start with the movie. If you decide you don't like it, we can do something else." _Or each other_. She kissed him softly then, pulling away with a grin. "Tonight can last as long or short as we want it to."

Though Castiel would have normally argued that night was actually a finite length of time, the angel found he was too tongue-tied to properly answer.

Instead, he watched as Ara got out of the vehicle, following suit immediately after. Cas saw her grab a plastic container of brightly coloured objects and throw the blanket on the hood of her car. "Can you straighten it out?"

Cas did, completely covering the surface as he watched her open all the windows and turn up the radio volume. She then took off her flip-flops, clumsily climbing onto the blanket, Tupperware in tow. The angel followed her up.

Sitting on the car was not entirely unpleasant. In fact, he thought as Ara scooted closer, he rather liked it.

"You want some candy? We can get popcorn from here but I find it tastes kinda off."

Incredibly, at the mention of food, the angel's stomach began to growl, causing Castiel to look at it in alarm. When he experienced no ill effects from the noise, however, he calmed down, only just realizing that he had not eaten anything all day… and that he now required small amounts of sustenance. "Yes, please."

"Yes, please, candy or yes, please, popcorn?"

"Candy," the angel said certainly, proud of himself. If Ara said the popcorn (whatever that was) tasted 'off' (negative connotation), he would trust her.

Bringing the Tupperware onto her lap, the young woman opened the container with a 'pop', placing it on their laps. "What's your poison?"

And now Cas was confused. Thankfully, he was spared the embarrassment of asking exactly what she meant when Ara continued: "I have gummy worms: sour and sweet, jelly beans, Kit-Kat, yogurt-covered pretzels, M&M's and Skittles."

Tired of feeling ignorant, the angel asked for a yogurt-covered pretzel. Out of every option, that seemed the safest bet. Ara handed him three nicely shaped foodstuffs covered in white before taking a long, cylindrical looking thing out of the plastic container. "Interesting choice," she said, a smile in her voice. "I'm more of a gummy worm person. Sour, not sweet."

And Castiel watched in horrified fascination as she bit into the apparently edible and tasty species of worm. "You okay?"

He couldn't help himself. "What makes the worm gummy?"

Ara's eyebrows almost reached her hairline. "Cas, it's not a real worm. It's a mixture of gelatin, and sugar that _looks_ like a worm." She paused. "Have you ever had one?"

He shook his head. "I've never had occasion."

"Well, now you do." Ara placed the treat into his palm resolutely, grinning. "Have at it."

He took a bite, pretzels completely forgotten. Ara watched as his face screwed up with the sourness, and then relaxed when he got to the sweet jelly underneath. "And?" she asked, "good or not so good?"

He frowned. "Good, I think. But I don't like the initial taste."

"Ah, not a fan of sour. That can be remedied." She produced another worm from the container. Watching as Cas put it into his mouth, the young woman had a thought: had he tried any other candy? "Have you ever tried any of this other stuff?" she asked curiously.

The angel shook his head, chewing thoughtfully. Upon swallowing, he declared that the second worm was much better, and bit into his pretzel. That, he loved. The mixture of salty and sweet was sinful, and Castiel popped another one into his mouth eagerly. "These are delicious."

"Yeah, I like them better than the chocolate covered ones." In the back of her mind, the young woman thought it weird that Cas had never eaten such basic sweets, but the optimist inside her wouldn't hear of it. His family was obviously incredibly religious… He was probably just never exposed to the things a normal child would have been.

Ara scooted so she was practically pressed up against him. Mindlessly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, the angel moved his left arm to wrap around her, hand absently touching and tracing her hip as he squeezed her close and brought his right palm up to his mouth, eating the last pretzel. The smoothness and nonchalance of the motion would later surprise him, and the fact that Ara cuddled into his shoulder would liquefy his insides.

Cas felt his companion's lips press to the exposed skin of his neck in a sweet gesture, and he felt his heart jump oddly. Turning to look at her, the angel opened his mouth, about to ask what the kiss was for when the screen lit up before them, music playing loudly from the radio of Ara's car.

It was starting.

Forrest Gump was a movie about the life of a man who struggled with developmental delays. Castiel found the film inspiring and enjoyable, though, admittedly, he did not see it all. There were times when he'd become distracted; acutely aware of the pressure of Ara's body or the smell of her hair. The entirely of his concentration would then be focused on that one thing about her, or the one place where they touched. Sometimes, he'd press his lips to the crown of her head in the attempt to find some relief, or he'd shift against her, causing the brunette to look up so he could catch her mouth instead. They'd kiss for a while, enjoying each other, before cuddling and turning their attentions back to the screen.

Cas tried a Kit-Kat, Skittles, M&M's and jellybeans. Arael, once, brushed in his skin as they both foraged in the plastic container, playing with his fingers and holding his hand. At one point, the young woman reached into the Tupperware and grabbed the last sweet gummy worm, putting it between her lips as Castiel looked at her.

Right. They were his favourite kind.

But instead of merely offering it to him, as what would have been courteous, Ara raised her brows, leaning forward mischievously: "Share?"

Though the idea seemed odd and ridiculous, the young man found himself smiling, easily moving to catch the other end of the gummy between his teeth as he continued forward and kissed her, smiling at her soft squeal and giggle.

When Forrest Gump invested in a 'fruit' company; Castiel gave a shivering Ara his trench coat.

Jenny snuck into Forrest's room and they made love; Arael cuddled deeply into her companion, leaning up to kiss him long and slow.

Forrest ran across the United States; Cas found himself running his fingers in different designs and patterns on Ara's hip.

Forrest Gump sat beside his lover's grave, son in tow; Castiel did not know how to feel: happy for the fictional character who found joy in the son he so deserved… But sadness for the loss of Jenny. Forrest deserved complete happiness, and yet it was not awarded to him. On some level, the angel felt cheated, and on another, he was deeply satisfied.

"So?" Ara asked nervously as the credits rolled. "What did you think?"

"It was… odd," Cas said slowly, trying to properly formulate his thoughts. "I was left feeling completely satisfied and dissatisfied at the same time."

"Yeah," she agreed. "But I like that. It's like life, you know? There are good moments and bad moments, and good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. And in the end, you just have to make the best of it. _Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get_."

And Castiel realized something incredible: a person did not have to save the world to be a hero. Just because somebody was perfectly normal: _ordinary_, did not mean they weren't _extraordinary_. It's what you do with those good and bad moments that defines you, and just because a life is long or glamorous, does not mean it's noteworthy. For example, of course Sam and Dean were extraordinary; they saved people everyday without asking to be thanked.

But Ara was also extraordinary, despite the fact that there was nothing outwardly special about her. Nothing noteworthy had ever happened to her; she went to school, lost her job like thousands of others around the world, volunteered at an organic market that was likely to go under, and generally kept to herself. But she was worth getting to know, because even though her existence looked dull from the outside, inside she was full of joy and passion and generosity. It seemed almost paradoxical.

"Ara, thank you again for inviting me." _For letting me kiss you, and touch you, and get to know you. Thank you for asking me how my day went and listening to me even if I have nothing else to say._

"Cas, it was truly my pleasure. Thank you for coming with me." She slid off the blanket then and stumbled to the ground, trench coat hanging off her form awkwardly. The young woman looked like she'd been playing dress-up. "I think that coat is too big for you," he informed her playfully.

"I don't." She turned once, fabric billowing out behind her. "I think it fits me perfectly."

Cas raised a brow. "_I_ could fit in there with you."

"I dare you to try."

The angel easily slid off the hood of the car, moving towards his human until she was backed up against the side of her Honda, his arms moving inside his coat as he pressed his body close, forehead against hers. "You could close this coat around the both of us," he said softly.

"Or I could kiss you."

But she didn't kiss him. Ara just looked up at him with a smirk, fingers playing with the buttons of his shirt. She undid one experimentally, watching as her partner pressed her further into the body of the car. He briefly marveled at how relaxed he was; at how easy it was to be himself around her. Never in his long life had Castiel been playful… And yet here he was, sharing gummy worms and joking about a coat. The angel smiled at his human, brushing his nose against hers as Ara leaned up almost imperceptibly. "I dare you to try," he repeated.

And Arael never refused a dare.

A half hour later, the pair pulled up to the brunette's home. Cas was in a predicament: What now? Did he go home? Did she invite him in? If this was the end of the evening, how was he supposed to explain to her that he wanted to walk the three miles back to the motel when she'd surely offer him a lift? But if she wanted him gone, wouldn't she have dropped him off anyway?

An alarm brought him out of his headspace and the angel watched, startled as Ara reached back to rifle through her purse, pulling out her cell phone. "Oh my God! I completely forgot!"

"Forgot what?"

"Come on," she said, kissing him quickly and moving to get out of the car, "I want to show you something."

They by-passed the house, Ara tugging on Cas' sleeve as she led him through her backyard and then into the forest lining the back of her property. "Ara, where-"

"It's a surprise," she grinned. "Hurry!"

They walked for a good five minutes, the human leading the way with sure-footedly in the dark as her angel companion followed. Being out here in the open scared Castiel much more than he cared to admit… For this was the place where monsters dwelled.

Finally, the forest opened up into what appeared to be an abandoned field, complete with dilapidated barn and tractor. "The Millers used to own this place," Ara explained. "But with the recession, they sold this field to the county, and the mayor's just left it. Eventually, I think it's supposed to become housing units, which is a stupid idea: we have too many houses with not enough people in them. But I love this place. I think it's beautiful."

And it was. Void of any synthetic illumination, the heavens opened up in a myriad of tiny, twinkling lights and swirls. There were so many stars that seeing was not an issue, and Ara tugged her angel down to sit beside a small pond before pointing up at the sky. "Look."

But he wasn't looking. Not where she wanted, at least. Arael had wanted to show Cas a meteor shower… But the angel was too busy looking at the young woman herself. He could not understand the amount of joy and pleasure she garnered from simply watching burning rocks fly across the atmosphere. Turning to Cas, Ara smiled widely, fingers threading through his. "It's amazing, isn't it? So beautiful."

"Yes," he agreed, though talking about something else entirely. "So beautiful."

"I wish I knew more about the stars," she sighed. "I think I would have gone into astrophysics if I didn't hate math so much." A pause as the young woman turned to look at him. "What about you? What would you have done if you didn't become a soldier?"

"That was never an option for me."

"Really? You never thought of doing anything else?"

Castiel shook his head, tongue loose as he spoke more freely with her than he ever had. "My brothers and sisters are all soldiers," he explained, "we protect and watch over people, that's what we do. There was never any option of me being anything other than what I am simply because I was created for the sole purpose of carrying out the orders of my superiors."

Ara frowned, kissing him in a way she never had before. She seemed to be saying 'I'm sorry'. "That's terrible. Everybody should have a choice."

The angel looked at her, smiling softly. "I'm realizing that."

The human smiled back, fingers reaching out to play with the hair at his nape nervously as she spoke: "I think we should run away tonight. Not forever, just until the sun comes up. You won't be a soldier, and I won't be a washed up biologist, and we'll just… be, you know? Together."

Though the idea seemed more than appealing, Cas did not understand how they'd get anywhere within the few remaining hours of darkness. "Where would we go?"

"Nowhere," she replied, "and everywhere. We'd just stay here and forget about it all. Everything. Just for one night, reality and the problems that come with it would disappear."

The pair spent the last few hours of the night bare and entangled on Castiel's trench coat, overhead a quilt of twinkling lights.


	5. Hour Five

**Next chapter! Hope you guys enjoy... It's short, but it's a pivotal part of the story, and is really Part 1 of the chapter I'm gonna post next. Thank so much to all those you have followed, favourited, and especially to: mamareadstomuch2, koryandrs and a Guest!**

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HOUR FIVE

Ara and Cas went on three more dates after the meteor shower, and though none quite had that unreal, never really happens to normal people vibe to it, the company was more than satisfying and the sex beyond enjoyable.

The angel looked forward to the hours he'd get with his human; watching TV or going for walks or having home-made meals at her house, and Ara was more than happy to get her mind of her current joblessness and enjoy the companionship.

She'd missed being in a relationship.

Because, at this point, it undoubtedly was. Despite the fact that neither party had spoken about a label, it was quite clear that they were dating when Castiel brought her flowers with a messily written card.

If they wouldn't see each other, she would talk to him on the phone. When she hadn't seen him for four days, Ara ended the call by telling Cas that she missed him.

He had never been missed before.

So, it only stood to reason that when Ara got a job at the local high school as a biology teacher, the young woman was over the moon. And when she called Cas and he didn't pick up, she figured she'd see if she could surprise him… By visiting the Blue Oyster Motel.

When the brunette knocked on his room, a half dressed man stumbled out, reeking of alcohol and cheap perfume.

Confused, Ara went to the front desk, figuring that Cas' room must have been moved. She asked about a Castiel and then a Sam and then a Dean (those were the names of his friends, weren't they?). At each name, the clerk shook his head.

And so, heart in her throat, Arael began with descriptions.

"Oh yeah! Lady, those three were gone a while ago… at least two, three weeks. But what a weird mix, huh? Especially that trench coat guy… he must have _mental issues_."

She was going to be sick.

But really, it all made sense, didn't it? He wasn't normal. He didn't get sarcasm. He didn't understand the basic of human needs and activities. He… Who the hell was he? Was he dangerous? Why hadn't he hurt her? Why hadn't he told her the truth?

One thing was certain: Ara was angry. But more than angry… She was petrified.

The young woman had originally acted so outgoing and out of character because she'd wanted adventure. She'd wanted something in her life to mean something more than just a failed attempt at saving the environment and living in her mom's house. She'd wanted crazy and stupid because goddammit she'd always done the right thing and look where it got her.

Well, this was adventure, all right.

Ara didn't see Cas again until she was closing up shop that night. Her hands began to shake as the angel's shadow engulfed her and the young woman merely turned to lock the front door, keys jangling noisily. "Hi," Cas grinned. "I… came to surprise you."

Clenching her jaw, the brunette turned, looking at him suspiciously. Cas stepped back. "How did you know I would be here?"

"You told me." A frown. "Ara, what's going on? Are you okay?" He reached out to touch her and she flinched.

Immediately, Castiel mind ran with all the possible things that could be wrong with her: possession, vampire attack, ghost problem… maybe his brothers and sisters had decided to use her as leverage against him. Things were suddenly looking much more complicated, which was something he should have foreseen. No, he had foreseen it… he just hadn't listened.

He'd been too caught up in the normalcy and the joy of it to fully consider the danger.

"Who are you?"

His blood ran cold.

"I'm… I'm Cas. Ara, I'm Castiel. You know me."

"Castiel what?"

"I'm sorry?"

"_Castiel what_? What's your last name?"

"I-" He stepped forward and she danced out behind him, wielding a crowbar from the shop.

"I went to the motel today. I got the job at the school-"

"Ara, that's wonder-"

"_Shut up._" She was breathing hard, adrenaline coursing through her veins. "They didn't even know your name. I had to fucking _describe _you. And apparently, you left town weeks ago. _Weeks_. So, I ask again: who the _hell _are you?"

"Ara-" He moved forward and the young woman tensed, warning that if he came any closer, she'd strike. "You won't hurt me," he said. Though he sounded more confident than he actually felt.

"I will if you don't tell me who you are _right now_."

Cas bit his lip before putting up his hands in a sort of surrender, nodding at her. Ara slightly lowered the crowbar. "Not who," he said, the words burning his throat, "what. I am an Angel of the Lord."

_How long were you walking for?_

_I don't know._

_Your parents named you after the Angel of Thursday?_

_What kind of childhood did you have?_

_I didn't._

_You look… Healthy._

_I'm a soldier._

_So, with a name like Castiel, your family must be religious._

_Very much so._

Ara's eyes widened in sickening realization: "Right. Because you're the angel Castiel."

"You don't believe me."

"If I don't really believe in God, you think I'd believe in angels?"

"I don't understand. I _am_ an angel."

The young woman took a step back, frowning ever-so-slightly as he approached her. She began to get nervous. He was crazy. She tried too hard to be somebody different, and she was going to end up dead in a ditch somewhere because of that. Cas stopped moving at her apparent recoil, knowing enough not to spook her. She needed to believe him. So, he did the only thing he could: he tried to prove it to her.

"Your name is Arael Barlowe, born in Virginia Beach, Virginia in the year 1984. You're approximately five feet, six inches. You moved to Vancouver, Canada when you were four, then to Montreal when you were twelve. Your father's work. By sixteen, you were living in Texas. You attended McGill University, eventually majoring in ecosystem ecology."

Though she was freaking out, Ara made like she wasn't impressed. After all, weren't you not supposed to show fear in these situations? She had to seem in control. "Any idiot can find that stuff out on the internet, Cas." She took another step back. Castiel continued, this time more personal. She had to believe him.

"You like to sing and dance when you do dishes. You enjoy cleaning your car. When you were eighteen you had an inflamed sebaceous gland on your vulva. Since then, you have been much more comfortable with your body and enjoy walking around naked. Your mother died when you were twenty. You were in Brazil and didn't make it in time to say goodbye. It is your biggest regret."

The young woman shook her head, dropping the crowbar in shock as she moved away from him. He wasn't normal. He was a creep. He was a stalker. He was- "Ara, just listen, _please-_"

"J-Just, stay away from me."

He reached a hand out. "Ara-"

"No!" She batted the appendage away, moving more quickly now. "That's sick! All these things you know, you're sick. You're delusional. You… you _creep_!"

She ran.

And then it all happened very fast. Cas grabbed her forearm, colour and air whooshed past her face at warped speed, and suddenly she was standing in front of her house, legs collapsing. Castiel grabbed her, holding her shocked form upright as she blinked up at him, nauseous. "My name is Castiel," he said softly, seriously. "And I am an Angel of the Lord."

He was confused when her first reaction was to push herself off of him, stumbling to a garbage bin about three feet away. She leaned over the side of the metal container; retching up everything she'd eaten that day. Ara emerged looking a light shade of green.

"I'm sorry… Every person has a different physical reaction to my mode of transportation."

She gagged, closing her eyes in discomfort. "And how many of them puked?"

"So far? Only you."

"Awesome." She pushed herself off the bin, losing her balance and stumbling into Cas by mistake. He caught her. "So, an angel, huh?" she asked, disoriented and surprisingly casual. "That's pretty-"

She fainted.

Compared to how she could have reacted, Castiel was relatively pleased.

Ara blinked her eyes open, her brain thrumming slightly against her skull. She had just enough of a headache to feel uncomfortable. The young woman frowned, sitting up clumsily she groaned, rubbing a hand over her face. A light fluttering of wings was heard and suddenly, Castiel was beside her, leaning over. Ara just about jumped three feet in the air. Right: Castiel, angel, puke. "Get away from me!"

Scrambling back on what turned out to be a bed, the brunette swore under her breath. Her entire body tensed. Cas was staring. "What?" she demanded.

"Are you all right?"

"Do I look alright?" Ara began to notice things, like the pictures on the bedside table and the colour of the walls. This was her room. "How did I get here?"

"I brought you." The angel made to sit down beside her, but her answering flinch made him pause. He stood, taking a step away form her.

"That's impossible."

"I'm an angel," he said with a soft smile, "impossible is my life."

The young woman shook her head again, disbelieving. "No, you're a sick freak who's holding me hostage in my own house. Let me go."

"Ara, you need to understand."

"_There are no such things as angels._"

"There are. I am one of them."

"You're lying."

Cas stayed calm, despite the fact that his patience was beginning to thin. What more did he have to do? His voice was tight: "I brought you back here in under a second, Arael. Tell me any other human would have had the ability to do the same and I'll go."

"Maybe you knocked me out." And as she said the words, they sounded more and more real. "Yeah, y-you knocked me out and brought me here and now you _won't let me go_!"

"Listen to me: we_ were five miles away_. How was I supposed to do that in under a second if I hadn't-"

"You can't be an angel!" she yelled. "You _can't_. Everything that's happening, it can all be explained. There has to be sort of-"

"There is. You _just won't hear it_."

"_Because it doesn't exist!_"

"Fine. Let's do it with science. Let's _analyze the data. _How do you explain all the unnatural weather? You _can't_, Ara. The reality is that it's unexplainable. There haven't been meteorological changes to warrant such disturbances because they've been caused by celestial intervention."

She shook her head wildly, terrified as her entire world crumbled around her. Everything she'd ever thought, everything she'd ever believed… it was gone. She clung onto every last bit of herself she could manage, vision blurred and nose running. "I-It's climate change," she replied desperately, "it has to be. We missed something, we've reached a tipping point or-"

"_Climate change_. Why didn't I think of that? Probably because _that's not what's at work here_!"

She glared at him. "There is no God."

And now Castiel was angry. "You insignificant _child_! Don't you get it? The world is _ending_ and I'm here arguing with a flaw about _science_! You don't matter, Arael! If you were gone, nothing would change! You mean _nothing_ to the rest of Creation." Ara felt tears spring to her eyes and grit her teeth, brows coming together. Castiel stopped in his tracks. He hadn't meant it like that. "Ara-"

"Get out."

"Ara, I didn't mean-"

"GET OUT!" she screamed.

Cas felt his hear turn to ice in his chest, his entire body numb as he took a step back. It felt like he had broken into a million little pieces. He hadn't wanted to hurt her. That has always been the _last_ thing he wanted… But why didn't she understand? He watched her curl in on herself, knowing that she'd refuse to cry when he was in the room. She'd perceive it as weakness. "Please-"

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" a pillow came hurling towards him, hitting him squarely it the chest. It hurt more than any punch he'd ever taken. "_Never _come back here, Castiel. You hear me? _I never want to see you again_."

The next thing the angel knew, he was standing in Banff National Park.

Ara dissolved into tears.


	6. Hour Six

Hey guys! So, I know I've been away from this story for a good long while... but hopefully I'll be updating regularly again :) It's really late over here (2:16 AM) and I wanted to post quickly because I didn't want to keep anybody waiting any longer, but I might edit a little bit tomorrow!

In the mean time, ENJOY! And thank you SO MUCH to all of you that have favourited/followed, and a special shout out to mamareadstomuch2 for being my one and only reviewer for the previous chapter!

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HOUR SIX

Castiel was drunk. Well, drunk was perhaps not the correct term. Castiel was still a little bit drunk, and was beginning to feel _hungover_. That was the word, wasn't it?

Above all, Castiel was upset.

In the span of four days, he had lost a person he cared deeply for, discovered his Father was truly absent, and drank a liquor store as a direct result of the two previous developments.

He was angry. Angry with his Father, who dared leave _all_ his children in their time of need… but mostly, angry with Ara. Who was she to treat him as such? He was an _angel_. She should have _believed _him. Everybody Sam and Dean seemed to tell accepted the existence of the supernatural with relatively open arms. Ara was just stubborn.

And she _had_ to believe him.

Which was probably why, almost immediately after having that thought, Cas found himself knocking at her door, swaying precariously on her porch.

What did Dean call it? Drunk and shrunk? Really really drunk?

_Drunk as a skunk_.

When she answered the door, he couldn't remember why that was important.

Ara took one look at him, attempting to shut the wooden slab as the angel found he didn't really care if she closed it or not. He'd stop her. But apparently, alcohol makes you slow.

Cas was locked out.

"Ara? Ara, I need to talk to you!"

"Go away, Castiel!"

He rolled his eyes, leaning up against the slab of wood pathetically before he was struck with an idea. No sooner had he thought of it was he inside the house, trying to steady himself as she screamed, backing away. She grabbed hold of the telephone. "Get out right now, or I'm calling the cops."

"I'll be gone before they get here."

"GET OUT!"

"_No_," he said seriously, stumbling up to her. Ara ran. But everywhere she went, he followed within a fraction of the time. Finally, she had shut herself in her closet, yelping when he ended up right beside her, swaying into her body. Ara shot out of the cramped space, terrified. That feeling dissipated, however, when she saw him stumbling out behind her. He looked pathetic, walking towards her on shaky footing as he got up close and personal. "Ara, please," he breathed, pleadingly. "You have to understand."

Her nose wrinkled as she moved her face away from his. She normally liked the smell of beer on a man… But an entire liquor store? Not so much. "Are you… drunk?"

"Drunk as a monk," Cas stated, more seriously than he ever had. He paused, frowning. No, that wasn't right. "…In a skunk."

Her eyes widened and she bit her lip, trying not to smile as he looked at her, adorably confused. When he saw the small upturn of her lips, he smiled in return, stepping forward with an outstretched hand. Ara stepped back.

He may have been drunk, and he may have been cute… but he was still there when she'd asked him to leave. And she still felt betrayed.

But Ara couldn't leave him _drunk. _"Come on," she said, forcefully taking the angel's arm and dragging him into the bathroom. "Let's get you sobered up."

He protested as she shoved him into her shower completely clothed, watching as she turned on the water to full-blast, the cold spray making him yelp. Quickly, Castiel attempted to leave, but Ara stopped him, pushing him back under the water with a shake of her head. Cas shivered pathetically. "I'm so _cold_."

"Good. That means it's working."

"But _Ara-_"

"No talking."

She watched as he mashed his lips together, leaning towards her to make a show of just how much he wasn't talking. Again, Ara tried not to smile… And failed. Badly. Castiel was overjoyed.

"See?!" he told her triumphantly. "You don't hate me."

Hate him? Ara didn't think she ever really hated him. She didn't think she was capable of that. She had been angry yeah, and maybe she had overreacted… But he had lied about his _species_. Wasn't that pretty important? And if he had lied about that, what was to say he hadn't lied about anything else? Everything else?

Cas stared at her from under the water, looking very much like the cat who'd got the cream. Ara didn't understand why, but she supposed she was happy that he could make light of such a crap situation. "You look very beautiful," he told her seriously.

The young woman snorted. She was wearing a huge t-shirt that came down mid thigh, and a pair of boxers. It had been midnight when he knocked on her door… she'd been getting ready for bed. Nevertheless, Ara found herself blushing. And smiling. She cursed.

Castiel had told her that she didn't matter, and he had been right. He had lied about being an angel. He had destroyed her entire belief system. She _should_ have hated him. So why was she so happy to see him?

"I'd like to kiss you."

Well, that sure as hell wasn't gonna happen.

Raising a brow, the young woman shook her head, pushing on his chest as he leaned towards her. Unfortunately, Castiel lost his footing in the process, grabbed onto Ara for support, and the pair went tumbling down onto the cold shower floor. Immediately, the young woman was assaulted by the freezing spray. She screamed. In response, Castiel wrapped his arms around her, the act clumsy and slow, but nonetheless thoughtful. Ara tensed. "W-What are you doing?" she chattered.

"Protecting you."

"Why?" she tried to move away from him, but only succeeded in cuddling into his body, the angel's face moving to be inches from hers. His pupils were dilated. "Ara…" Cas' fingers tilted her chin as he leaned forward. Ara leaned way back, looking at him like he was insane.

"You're an _angel_," she told him.

His answering grin reached his ears. "_Yes_! I am, indeed. A very wet angel. And cold. But _I am an angel_. And you believe me."

Ara nodded, looking at him, embarrassed. Denying the evidence of his celestial status had not been one of her proudest moments. "Yeah, I do. I have to. I mean… The data speaks for itself."

Cas nodded along happily, again leaning towards her. Ara put a hand to his chest. "_No_."

"But you_ believe _me."

"And? Aren't there rules about this kind of thing? 'Thou shalt not have sex with a mortal' and all that jazz?"

Cas frowned thoughtfully, squeezing her into his body to try and keep warm. "…Only babies." A pause. "Wait. And the sex thing. That's not entirely… Kosher."

She raised a brow. "Kosher?"

He gave her a look that was so human, Ara almost had to do a double take. "I just drank a liquor store, and now my brain is frozen."

"Right."

He sighed. "But it's a shame. I like babies. And I like you. And I would _never_ abandon my children like my father did." Castiel leaned his head on her shoulder. "We could have made good babies."

And now Ara's eyes were wide as saucers. She had known him for what? Two weeks? And wanted to have _children_ with her? Though he seemed to be sobering up, Ara attributed his loose tongue to the alcohol.

But was that how he really felt?

Because she wasn't ready for that. She was only just getting used to the fact that he was an angel… Kids didn't even factor into the equation. The young woman's shock and panic must have been evident. "I've upset you," Cas stated, looking at her. "'M sorry."

Ara shivered, shrugging it off. "Let's just get out of the shower."

No sooner had she said that, the pair was in her bedroom, dripping wet as they sat on the floor. Arael felt nauseas. Looking at her, the angel touched her face worriedly. "Are you okay?"

She pushed him off, annoyed that he'd flown them to her bedroom of all places. Annoyed that he had flown them anywhere at all, actually. But was she really _annoyed_? No. She was scared. Not of Cas directly, but the fact that he was angel… it was different. It was _weird_. Exciting, and scary, and weird, and it made her feel special and dirty all at once.

Most of all, it made her uncomfortable.

She had thought they were the same. Ara had identified with the quirky man from Pontiac, Illinois, but the angel… she had no idea how she was supposed to act around him. Especially after ripping into him as she had during their previous encounter. So no, Ara wasn't annoyed, not really. She was feeling awkward, and uncomfortable, and she had no idea how to behave.

The young woman looked at her soaked floor in dismay. "I'm fine," she replied, if a little harsh. "Just, don't whoosh me anywhere ever again."

"I don't whoosh," he replied, slightly miffed. "I fly."

"Wait here."

She stood up, and Castiel was privy to possibly the best view he'd ever seen. The boxers stuck to her legs, and white t-shirt she wore was now suctioned to her skin. It was soaked through and he could clearly see her breasts and nipples through the material. He smiled crookedly.

"_Castiel_."

He cleared his throat, looking at her face with a sheepish grin. "Sorry."

Ara rolled her eyes. "Don't move."

Fifteen minutes later, a very embarrassed angel found himself sitting at Ara's kitchen table, steaming cup of black coffee in hand. He fidgeted uncomfortably in the lose clothes she'd given him, not entirely sure he liked wearing different material, but happy that he was wearing something Ara owned.

Taking a sip of the hot, bitter liquid, Castiel wished the Earth would swallow him whole. His head was still a little fuzzy… But that did not prevent him from deeply regretting his behaviour. He had acted like a child.

Putting the mug down, the angel took a deep breath, chancing to look Arael in the eye. She stared at him. "Ara, I would like to apologize for my actions."

The young woman raised a brow. "Sorry for lying to me, breaking into my house, or soaking my bedroom floor?"

His human skin flushed scarlet and Castiel looked down at his mug in complete and utter embarrassment. "All of the above."

Ara stared at him for a good long while. Cas shifted nervously. "Will you… accept my apology?"

She wanted to. She really did. But what would that mean? How would everything even work? They couldn't go back to how things used to be, not when he was so… so different. "You're an angel," she stated plainly.

"Yes."

"You're an _angel_."

Cas noted the negative connotation. "Peter Singer would call you a speciesist for saying that."

"Yeah, well, if Peter Singer were in my shoes, he might have had a change of heart."

The angel frowned. "No, actually. Singer is a strict utilitarian, I believe that his views regarding our copulation-"

"Cas." He stopped. "Why are you even here right now?"

"Ara-" Castiel did not want to talk about it.

The young woman shook her head. "If we're gonna do this, I need to know. All of it. How you're here, why you're constantly visiting me, and why you look so… normal. Is this Angel Protection or something? I mean, not that I'm opposed to celestial greatness wrapped up in tall, dark and handsome, but I can't even see your wings, assuming you have them."

Though he enjoyed the compliment, the angel took a deep breath, walking around the table to sit beside her. Ara turned and crossed her legs and Cas did the same. "If I do this, you must _promise_ to stay calm, understand? You need to let me finish before you jump to conclusions."

"Fine."

He looked at her, eyes narrowing. "I don't believe you."

"Neither do I." She took a deep breath. "But I'll try my best."

That seemed fair.

Taking a deep breath, the angel put his mug down, looking at Ara intensely. "My… true form is much more impressive. It can only be seen by a select few humans. This is a vessel. Jimmy Novak, a nice young man from Pontiac, Illinois. Devout."

Ara's eyes widened ever so slightly and she forced herself to stay calm. "You… You're not even-You're _wearing _a human being?"

As soon as the words were out, everything became too real. Too _out of control_.

"In the crudest sense, I suppose so. But-"

"Did he have a family?"

"Of course, everybody-"

"_No_. Kids, a wife… did he have a family?"

"Yes. But Ara-"

"So, all this time, I've been sleeping with Jimmy Novak, who was _married_, who had a _life_. And you-"

"He prayed for it," Cas cut her off. "Ara, the only way an angel can use its vessel is with the vessel's permission. Jimmy allowed me entrance, fully knowing the consequences. But that doesn't matter, because he's gone now. You promised-"

"You killed him," she breathed.

"I'm seeing a very big infraction of our agreement," the angel reminded her, losing patience. "A demon killed Jimmy, not me. I gave him an option, and he chose to sacrifice himself for the life of his daughter." Ara merely looked at him. "Everything you saw," he continued, "everything you felt… that was genuine. Jimmy Novak is no longer occupying this body. I am. Castiel. You know me, Ara." He cupped her face. "And I was only Castiel when I met you."

She took a deep breath, frowning as he left go of her. Demons? No, stay calm. Calm. Calm. Calm. The least she could do was hear him out. Ara owed him that much, at least. "Right. Castiel. Okay. Sorry. And you're here because- Why are you here? To test me? Some kind of celestial joke-" And then she froze, eyes wide. She was going to hell. She had slept with an angel and she was _going to hell_. "I'm going to hell."

"You mistake yourself as being someone of import to Heaven," Cas reassured her. "My Father does not have time to test unimportant humans who will surely fail, as you just demonstrated. At least he wouldn't, if he hadn't abandoned us." His voice took on a bitter tone before brightening again. "But my actions towards you were entirely my own and for my own purpose."

"I don't know whether to be relieved or insulted."

"Happy." He said quickly, eyes downcast as he realized the word that had come tumbling from his lips. "I would like for you to be happy."

She frowned at him, -expressions flickering across her face a mile a minute. Finally, she settled on anger. Because really? It would have made her _happy_ if he hadn't lied to her. "Me?" she demanded. "You want _me_ to be happy? You _lied_ _to me_, Castiel-"

"I would really prefer if you called me Cas-"

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want, Featherbrain. God, what must I look like to you? Like some lowly filthy animal? _Bacteria_? All my life and this is all we really are in the end: just bacterial cultures on an Earth-sized Petri dish. You make me sick."

Admittedly, the whole thing got away from her… As it always seemed to when she was with him. There was too much of everything: love, lust, comfort, discomfort, excitement, nervousness, anger, affection. Everything was too much too quick and once again, Ara found herself moving from calm to angry in an instant.

"This is not the direction I intended this conversation to go-"

"This is real life, Castiel. Things rarely oblige us savage humans." She shook her head at him. "How can you live with yourself? Earth could have been Paradise. You and the rest of Heaven, God, the whole kit-and-caboodle could have made the perfect world: no violence, no poverty, no pain. You could have saved so many people… But you just sat on your lazy asses all day. Watching. Tell me… Was it a good show?"

He tried to reason with her. "There must be pain in order for joy and pleasure to be properly appreciated and experienced-"

"That is such a bullshit, bureaucratic response."

"You're angry. I can understand that. You feel as if we betrayed you; we did not. Many of my brothers and sisters are tired; they welcome the apocalypse as an end to a tedious chore. But I'm not like them. I'm falling, Ara. I'm becoming human because I care about you and yours, not the inverse."

She raised a dubious brow. "So you're a human rights activist?"

"Something like that. Listen, I know what I did was wrong, but if I would have told you earlier, would you have believed me? Not unless I flew you here and you saw the proof with your own eyes. I told you who and what I am and was only met with scorn. You're angry, yes. I understand. Perhaps you're even a little bit upset, in which case I find myself relieved and joyful. It is comforting to know that I am not alone in my feelings." He looked at her, not daring to touch her but wanting to be as close as possible. Reigning himself in, the angel took a deep breath. "Ara, if I would have told you before or after, it would not have made a difference. Either way, I'm being yelled at simply for being what I am and attempting to live normally as best I can. I know I still have much to learn of the human condition and social interaction, but is this not against every innate principle you possess?" He paused, looking at the human who was obviously very at war with herself. "You promised you wouldn't freak out," he reminded her gently.

Ara was going to be sick. "I know, I'm sorry, I just…" She took a deep breath. "I guess I am a speciesist. Rich, huh? Coming from the one who wanted to save the environment." Her fingers extended like she wanted to reach for him but thought better of it. "I'm sorry, Cas. I overreacted. I jumped to conclusions… But you also need to understand how difficult this was for me. I mean, my entire belief system, my entire _world_, was shattered in whatever time it took you to bring me to my house four days ago-"

"A third of a second."

"Okay… A third of a second. I, um I panicked. I acted human. Because I am human. I'm messy and flawed and I'm sure I still don't fully understand half of what you're telling me, but I'll get it eventually." She took a deep breath. "What I do understand is this: you're an angel, and with your existence comes the existence of God. And that's… hard for me to handle. It's actually dream-shattering. I mean, we're all just puppets. Everything I do or don't do, it's not my choice. It has _never_ been my choice. So why do it? Why try to make a contribution that I think is novel when it isn't mine? I just- I wanted to change the world. And it's hard to realize that everything I used to believe in was really a sham." She bit her lip. "I'm very grateful for your patience, and I'm sorry that I freaked out and jumped to conclusions, but I want you to understand why I freaked: I spent my whole life trying to change the world… And in a third of a second, I found out that was wasted time."

Cas looked at Ara as if she was something completely new. He understood where she was coming from, he did… But she didn't really think that? That was folly. Of course she could change the world. She_ was_ changing the world. "Ara, you misunderstand." He scooted closer, knees touching hers as he moved to brush a curl from face. "People can change the world. I truly believe that… You change the world every day by going and teaching biology, and by volunteering at that food store. You change individual worlds. You've changed _my _world. And being ordinary, that doesn't mean anything, because it also makes you _extraordinary_. It's your choices that define you; _yours, _not anybody else's. You are in control of your own destiny." Cas' fingers tilted her chin so he could look at her eyes. "You asked me why I was here. The world is ending, Ara. The apocalypse is nigh… Our apocalypse: during which Michael and Lucifer will battle for the Earth. I'm here because I refuse to let that happen. That decision marked my Fall from Grace. Not that I_ lost_ my Grace-"

"Your Grace?"

"It's what makes me an angel. My… mojo." Cas frowned thoughtfully, trying to organize his thoughts. "What I'm trying to say is that I Fell for people like you. Because I believe that what Heaven is doing is wrong. And I won't let them dictate my life anymore. I have choices that are my own to make… Do you?"

Of course she did. Slowly, Ara nodded before throwing herself at the unsuspecting angel, heart pounding as he tensed beneath her embrace. She hoped this was okay. "Thank you," Cas felt her breathe into his skin.

"There's nothing to thank me for."

The young woman shook her head against him. "There is, though. I was horrible to you. I judged you, and I'm sorry because I had promised I wouldn't."

"I was also at fault," Castiel assured her.

"Yeah, but I'm sorry anyway," she took a deep breath, playing with the collar of his shirt nervously she as she settled on his thighs. "And… I thank you for restoring my Faith."

"I thought you didn't have Faith."

"Not in a God that's abandoned us," she said softly, fingers moving to trace his jawline. She'd missed him more than she'd ever care to admit, and it had been what? A week? "I have Faith in humanity. In the good of people… and in you. Thank you for restoring my Faith in you."

Cas couldn't help himself; he kissed her. Not that it was particularly hot and heavy, but it was heavy enough. It communicated just how much he'd missed her, and how hurt he'd been, and how much he needed her. On top of all of this, he had still lost his Father.

Castiel pulled away, leaning his forehead against the human's as he sighed, fingers tracing her collarbone. Ara shivered. "So," she said quietly, "the apocalypse, huh?"

"Yes," he replied, bitter. "During which time my family tears itself apart. Though I suppose we're already there, since my Father left us to fend for ourselves."

Ara frowned, noting the way his posture seemed to change. Cas looked devastated. "What happened?" she asked.

He told her everything; from dragging Dean out of Hell, to finding out God had abandoned them, Castiel shared it all. He was sick of secrets and lies. Ara deserved to know. He wanted her to know.

And when he finished, eyes downcast and posture small, Ara took him into her arms, hugging him tightly as she felt him tense before squeezing her back just as hard. When Cas pulled away, he kept close to the young woman, relishing the feeling of her fingers as they traced his right cheek and tangled in his hair. "What can I do to help?" she asked.

"Stay here," he told her. "Stay safe."

"Cas, I'm not just gonna sit here and do nothing."

He looked at her. "You don't have a choice. There isn't enough time for you to learn what would need to be learnt in order to help us. At this point-"

"I'd be more of a hindrance than anything else," she finished.

"Yes," Cas agreed. "On the battle field, at least."

Ara bit her lip. "Well, if there's anything else I can do: research, providing a safe house, bomb-making-"

His brows shot up at the latter and Ara smiled sheepishly. "What? I was really into forensic chemistry at one point… The point is: say the word and I'm there. Anything you need."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Actually," Cas murmured, "providing your dwelling as a safe house would be wonderful, as would your offer to help research. We've exhausted our list of possibilities on how to beat Lucifer."

"How long does he have in that other vessel?"

"I'm not sure," Cas tugged Ara forward, nudging her nose affectionately. "But it won't be long."

The young woman nodded, pressing a light kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I'll be happy to do whatever research you require of me."

He was relieved… up until the moment he wasn't. Telling her all these things was all good and well, but now Ara knew. And she needed to protect herself. "There are some things we need to do before I leave again," he told her seriously, guiltily.

"Like what?"

"For one, you need to angel and demon proof your house."

"Okay… How do I do that?"

"I know all the symbols. I'll teach them to you tomorrow… And I'll bring you books as well," he assured her. "Books will help you."

"Thanks."

And then the guilt washed over him like a tidal wave. He had been so desperate to make her understand, to earn her approval and affections that he'd never even stopped to think about the danger. He should have never come back. He should have left her angry with him. It would have been easier.

But that was not what he'd wanted.

"Don't thank me," he said softly. "You were right, I should have left you alone… you've no idea the danger I've put you in."

"Hey, I could have kicked you out, remember? I could have screamed at you until you were forced to leave." She nudged him with a playful grin. "We're in this together, Featherbrain."

He smiled despite himself, the thing quickly turning serious as he remembered the most important thing they had to do. "Ara, I need to make you invisible to angels."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Any angel can see you right now. They know your whereabouts and, because I care for you, my brothers and sisters will not hesitate to use you against me. Making you invisible, along with the angel warding on your house, will protect you from them."

"Okay," Ara nodded, "what do I need to do?"

Carefully, the angel reached forward and pressed a hand to her ribcage, remembering that Sam and Dean had both groaned in pain. "This will hurt."

That was an understatement.

It was white-hot, blinding pain for a second, and then it was gone. Ara was left gasping. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"What did you do?"

"I carved Enochian symbols into your ribs."

"Enochian?"

"My language. The language of angels."

"Can you speak it to me?" she asked, suddenly seeming entirely more girlish.

"Not unless you have a spell or tablet for me to read," Cas said, shaking his head softly. "Enochian is not commonly used in Heaven. We mostly speak the languages of the Earth."

"So you can speak French?"

"Yes."

"And Italian?"

"Of course."

"What about Gaelic?"

"I can speak Ancient Greek, if you wish to hear it," Castiel murmured, bragging a bit. "Latin, Sanskrit… Any language that has ever existed on this Earth."

Ara bit her lip. "That's kind of… incredibly sexy."

The angel's face brightened at her words and Ara blushed, smiling at him. Was she allowed to kiss him? Would he want her to kiss him? Though logically, she knew he was the same person, it was hard not to be intimidated… He was an angel now. I mean, he'd always been an angel, but now that she knew- it just felt different.

When he pulled her into his chest, however, pressing a tender kiss to her lips, it felt the same. When they walked upstairs, hand in hand, it was familiar. When he cuddled with her, nothing had changed. And when they fell asleep in each others' arms, Ara could not differentiate Cas The Human from Cas The Angel.

Perhaps that was because there was no difference.


End file.
